Construction Underway on Vienna Airport’s €420m terminal expansion

Vienna Airport in Austria has broken ground on its €420m (US$450m) Southern Terminal Expansion project, with the expanded terminal scheduled to commence operations in 2027.

The ARGE Porr/Elin/Ortner consortium will carry out the construction work. Vienna Airport’s 70,000m² Southern Terminal Expansion will enlarge its shopping and retail space by 50% to 30,000m². This area will feature 30 more retail and food and beverage outlets with Austrian and international premium brands and leisure areas.

For the shopping and restaurant area, tenant acquisition efforts have started and are being implemented with digital support. In a virtual 3D tour, interested parties can explore the building’s interior areas and possible commercial space, take a closer look at passenger flows and leisure areas, and get a realistic impression of the entire terminal environment.

Alongside the enlarged retail and restaurant area, the project will create 6,000m² of new and exclusive lounges including a 4,000m² Austrian Airlines lounge and a 2,000m² Vienna Airport lounge, the latter designed in the style of the “Vienna Lounge” and characterized by elements, colors and textures of the Viennese Art Nouveau and Austrian and Viennese culture. According to the airport, passengers will not be confronted with a “sterile terminal building but a modern, high-quality and exclusive terminal environment with charm and a local flavor linking passengers to the destination of Vienna”.

Additionally, 18 bus gates will enable transfer connections between the F, G, C and D gates – 10 for Schengen departures and eight for non-Schengen departures. A security checkpoint will also be added.

Sustainable technology solutions will be integrated alongside thermal insulation and an insulating façade. The intelligent building control system will include ventilation facilities with free cooling and the terminal’s electricity supply will be partly derived from the airport’s photovoltaic facilities, which will provide about 50,000,000kWh of electricity annually starting in 2024.

Construction of the terminal building will be based on the use of digital technologies. The entire building has been fully digitally recorded and virtually mapped out in the Building Information Modelling (BIM) system to reflect construction plans. The building’s digital twin shows the walls, stairways, elevator shafts, as well as all the wiring and connections required in the future for the energy supply, building services and IT in the building.

Preparation work for the construction project has been underway since July 2023. The construction site was cleared, the outer facade of Terminal 3 in the connection area was demolished, cable trays were laid and shaft structures were built. Next, the intensive construction phase will begin. As of February 2024, civil engineering work is in full swing, using more than 900 bored piles, and the foundation is being built. Following this, construction of the six-story building will start, followed by the interior fittings and installation of the building technology system.

Julian Jäger, joint member of the management board of Flughafen Wien, said,

“Our airport is growing, passenger volume is increasing, and we are continuously among the best globally in terms of our service quality. Now we are also upgrading our terminal infrastructure to be top-notch internationally. Thanks to the new Southern Expansion project, we are laying the groundwork for Vienna Airport to join the ranks of the top airports and achieve 5-star status.

“In the future, our passengers will experience a substantial improvement in the quality of their stay in a new terminal environment thanks to a considerable enlargement of the shopping and restaurant offerings featuring renowned Austrian and international premium brands. There will be new and exclusive lounges, large and comfortable leisure areas, new centralized and state-of-the-art security controls, and better transfer connections for transfer passengers between all terminal areas.

“All of this will take place in an exclusive and high-quality terminal environment making Austrian and Viennese elegance perceptible and palpable in a charming way. The Southern Expansion enables us to set new benchmarks in quality and ensure a comfortable stay. This project is yet another airport development milestone following the record results achieved in 2019 and the second highest passenger volume in the airport’s history in 2023.”

Günther Ofner, joint member of the management board of Flughafen Wien, the board member responsible for overseeing construction, said,

“The Southern Expansion is a key project within the context of our quality and investment drive over the coming years. After extensive preparation work, the intensive construction phase for the €420m [US$450m] project will now begin. It will be fully financed from our future cash flows, without the need for any loans.

“Our construction management was completely reorganized in 2012. Since then, it has successfully demonstrated its construction competence within the context of numerous large projects, all of which were finished on time and on budget. When it comes to planning and project management, we rely on our high level of competence in leveraging digitalization and Building Information Modelling (BIM). In this way, we can not only monitor the construction process on a daily basis, but also ensure adherence to costs and the planned timetable. Completion is scheduled for 2027.”

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria, commented,

“Vienna International Airport is on a growth path. With this project, it is taking important steps to ensure the future development of the airport hub and the entire region. The airport is not only a crucial transport hub for Austria but also the largest employer in the Eastern Region and an essential flagship company for the entire federal state of Lower Austria. Thanks to investments in its terminal infrastructure, Vienna International Airport in Schwechat is strengthening its role as the gateway to the world for the Lower Austrian business, tourism and cultural landscape.”

Source: Passenger Terminology Today