Linz Airport in free fall: millions needed, politics slipped control!

Linz Airport in free fall: millions needed, politics slipped control!

Linz, Österreich - Linz Airport is facing an extremely tense financial Situation. According to a report by ots.at , the airport needs financial support in order to be able to maintain the operation. The number of passengers is understood in a dramatic decline and decreased from over 800,000 in 2023 to only 181,000 in 2025.

The owners, the city of Linz and the state of Upper Austria, each bear 50% of the shares and have to finance the ongoing losses. Political influence on the supervisory board of Airport Linz GmbH is particularly critical. The Mayor of Linz and two state councils sit on the Supervisory Board, which is increasingly questioned among the population and political actors.

political challenges and financial support

Joachim Aigner, the state party chairman of the MFG-OÖ, demands depoliticization and partial privatization of the airport. He criticizes politicians who present themselves as experts in fields in which they lack the training. In addition, the MFG demands that mayor and state councils should not be active in decisive companies such as the airport.

In recent years, Linz Airport has had to fight with considerable challenges. For example, in March 2024, the important regular flight connection to Frankfurt was temporarily discontinued due to a recall campaign by Pratt & Whitney. Airplane bottlenecks caused some additional flights to be offered during the high season. According to Austrianwings.info , a total of 180,694 passengers were handled, which corresponds to a decline of 22.4% compared to the previous year.

economic development and passenger numbers

The connection Linz-Frankfurt, which was once the most advanced, was recorded again at the end of October with three daily flights. Despite the challenges, it was shown that holiday flights were in demand, but no additional capacities could be offered. It is positive that Ryanair could be won as a new customer. From the summer flight schedule 2025, the airline will offer two weekly connections to Alicante and Bari.

The current developments in the area of passenger numbers should be considered in the context of the general air travel behavior. In 2023, the plane after the car was the most popular means of transport. For 2023, the IATA predicts sales of around $ 650 billion from air passengers, which exceeds the pre-crisis level. The Ryanair Group promoted almost 169 million passengers in 2023 and thus claims its place as the largest European airline. Frankfurt Airport, for example, recorded a passenger volume of 59.4 million in 2023, which makes it one of the most important airports in Europe, as is reported on Statista.com

Despite the challenges, the Linz airport remains an important player in the region. He has also established himself as a large sponsor for local football clubs, but this is considered problematic due to the current financial situation. The MFG plans to observe the situation closely and will continue to ask questions about the future and strategy of the airport.