Vienna Airport: Strong operational year and passenger record

These special effects caused earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to fall by 6.8 percent to 412.4 million euros and EBIT to fall by 8.7 percent to 279.5 million euros. The result for the period fell to 210.1 million euros, after 239.5 million euros in the previous year. According to the company, around half of the negative effect from the impairment was offset by the good operational development – an indication of the profitability of the ongoing business.

Despite the decline in earnings, the board of directors is proposing an unchanged dividend of 1.65 euros per share to the general meeting. The payout ratio is around 75 percent and the dividend yield is around three percent. Employees also benefit from the employee participation foundation, which holds ten percent of the shares.

Growth in all business areas

Operationally, business developed positively in all segments. The airport segment benefited from the high traffic dynamics and tariff adjustments, while handling and security services grew, particularly due to strong freight volumes. In the Retail & Properties division, revenue increased with passenger growth, primarily due to higher revenue from shopping, dining, lounges and parking.

Malta once again presented itself as a particularly dynamic location. The investment developed strongly in terms of both traffic and earnings and made a significant contribution to the consolidated result. Overall, this confirmed the Vienna Airport Group’s broad earnings base.

Record passengers and cautious outlook

At the Vienna location, the airport recorded a new record level of 32.6 million travelers in 2025. The outlook for 2026 is more cautious: around 30 million passengers are expected in Vienna and around 41.5 million travelers in the entire group. The reasons for this include tariff adjustments and an overall more challenging regulatory environment in Europe.

Vienna Airport still expects financial stability for 2026. Sales are expected to be around 1.05 billion euros, EBITDA at around 415 million euros and the profit for the period before minorities again at around 210 million euros. The prerequisite for this is that there are no major geopolitical upheavals or additional traffic restrictions.

Massive investments in infrastructure and quality

In parallel to operational stability, Vienna Airport is pushing ahead with the expansion of its infrastructure at a rapid pace. After investments of 281 million euros in 2025, the company is planning record investments of around 330 million euros for 2026. At the Vienna location, these are financed entirely from our own resources.

The focus is on the Terminal 3 southern expansion, which is scheduled to go into operation in the second quarter of 2027. Additional shopping and dining areas, new lounges, bus gates and a central security checkpoint will be created on around 70,000 square meters. In addition, the North Pier will be expanded to include additional gates for wide-body aircraft. All security checkpoints should be equipped with modern CT scanners by the summer of 2026.

Regulation as a location disadvantage

In this context, board member Günther Ofner criticizes what he sees as regulation in Europe that inhibits growth. While global air traffic is increasing significantly, Europe is pulling the “regulatory handbrake” and burdening the industry with additional costs. He is therefore calling for a rapid correction at EU level as well as faster approval procedures in Austria and a reduction in the flight tax.

AirportCity as a growth driver

The location also continues to grow outside of flight operations. AirportCity was able to attract numerous new companies in 2025, and further settlements are planned for 2026, including several companies from the space tech sector in the “VIE Space Hub”. Office Park 4 NEXT will create additional capacity and will offer new office and conference space from 2028. With more than 23,500 employees, Vienna Airport is already the largest employer in the eastern region.

Quality leader with a long-term perspective

Vienna Airport continues to be one of the leading quality hubs in Europe and has received multiple international awards. With the ongoing expansion of the infrastructure, investments in service quality and a clear growth strategy, the company is preparing for its long-term goal: around 40 million passengers should be processed at the Vienna location by 2035.