Until now, Vienna has been one of the most competitive airports in the European Union. with a formidable offer from low-cost airlines.
You be the judge. This summer, the Hungarian company Wizz Air offers 27 destinations to 20 countries in Europe and the Middle East, including Nice. For its part, Ryanair flies to 76 destinations in 25 European countries. This includes flights to Beauvais, Marseille and Toulouse in France and on Charleroi in Belgium.
At the end of the first half of 2025, the Ryanair group (which includes Lauda Air) had a market share of 21,2% in Vienna, while Wizz Air's market share was 6%. Next in line are Germany's Eurowings with 2.4% and Turkey's Pegasus with 1.9% market share.
All in all, in the first half of the year, low-cost services generated 31% of all passenger traffic. This market share is increasing slightly. By 2024, 9.7 million travellers used low-cost airlines to get to Vienna.
But that's about to change. The cause: increased airport costs and a passenger tax that now stands at €12 for European routes. This affects the business model of low-cost carriers.
10 September, Wizz Air has announced the closure of its Vienna base by March 2026. It will do so gradually, with the departure of two of the airline's aircraft and the discontinuation of services to London Gatwick and Bilbao. The last three Wizz Air aircraft based in Vienna will leave the airport next March. Mauro Peneda, Managing Director of Wizz Air Maltathe airline's Vienna-based subsidiary, said that it was " a difficult decision, but one that is necessary to safeguard the long-term competitiveness of our company ".
Ryanair threatens and takes action
Two days ago, Ryanair has in turn announced that it will withdraw 3 based aircraft and close 3 routes (Billund, Santander and Tallinn) from Vienna for winter 2025. Ryanair also blames what it describes as the "punitive tax 12 on aviation in Austria and excessive charges at Vienna airport - which have risen by 30 % since Covid.
The carrier uses blackmail - as usual and as she recently did for France. Le CEO of Ryanair, Michael O'Learyindicates that if the government abolishes the €12 tax and reduces airport charges, the company is ready to implement a new tax. Ambitious $1 billion growth proposal for Austria. By 2030, it would base ten Boeing 737-8 200 new-generation engines that are quieter and more environmentally friendly. It also promises to open up 40 new routes and carry 12 million passengers a year. This compares with 6.6 million last year, an increase of 70%.
Michael O'Leary commented: " Austria remains one of the few EU countries (like Germany) that has still not managed to return to its pre-Covid traffic levels. This is despite Ryanair's rapid growth in Austria since 2019 (+160%)including the addition of 4 new routes to/from Salzburg and Linz this winter" .
