Klagenfurt Airport (KLU)

Klagenfurt Airport, also known as Flughafen Klagenfurt in German, is an important international airport close to Klagenfurt, which is the sixth-largest city in Austria. 

During both World Wars I and II, Klagenfurt Airport was used as a military runway. In fact, it was built in 1914 as a military airport. It was a big deal for the City of Klagenfurt and for all of Carinthia when Klagenfurt Airport opened to the public on May 17, 1925. From June 1929 to 1939, the airport was run by Julius Fedrigoni Edler von Etschthal, a pilot who won the Battle of the Bulge and became a hero of World War I. Once World War II was over, Julius Fedrigoni was sent back to Annabichl to work on low-cost flight operations. Julius Fedrigoni, a Korv. Kpt., started the Committee city of Klagenfurt on January 1, 1952, and was in charge of flights until 1956.

Seven companies flew out of Klagenfurt Airport between 1926 and 1938. There were flights between Klagenfurt and places like Germany, Italy, and Yugoslavia. There were also flights within Austria to all of the country’s big towns.

Austrian Airlines, the airport’s main carrier, said in the spring of 2014 that their booking and service booths at Klagenfurt Airport would be closing because of low demand. Instead, services were going to be offered right at the check-in desk. In April 2015, Austrian Airlines said that they were thinking about ending their local route to Vienna within the next few years because it wasn’t making enough money. In the same year, the state government said it would sell some of its airport shares to private buyers.

Since there haven’t been many passengers at the airport in recent years, the management suggested that big logistics and cargo companies move in. These companies could be helped by the fact that the Adriatic Sea harbors aren’t too far away and handle a lot of freight shipping. There are already train and road links to the airport. But Austrian Airlines later said that the airport would not be able to handle cargo flights because of noise complaints and the curfew at night.

The Austrian Air Force said in October 2015 that it would stop all operations and close its helicopter base at Klagenfurt Airport by the end of that year. Ryanair said they would leave the airport and end their route to Palma de Mallorca Airport in August 2020. Lauda had been running the route as a wetlease. But in 2023, Ryanair came back with four new locations.

Lilihill Group, which owned most of the airport at the time, stated in 2022 that Liliair, a new regional airline based in Klagenfurt, would be opening. The carrier was meant to connect the airport to more big European cities when it was set to launch in April 2023. But the stated flights could not be booked for any date before or on the day of the launch, and no running carrier had been confirmed. Lilihill and the state of Carinthia were in a long-running dispute because the state wanted to buy back the airport, which cast question on the Liliair idea. Lilihill Group said in April 2023 that a Liliair home base in Klagenfurt is no longer likely because of the current disagreement. After much discussion, the city of Klagenfurt and the state of Carinthia stated in May 2023 that they would exercise their buy-back option and take back full ownership of the airport.

There is only one small building at Klagenfurt Airport that houses the passenger terminal. It has shops, bars, and a terrace for tourists. There are stands on the apron for both smaller general aviation planes and mid-sized planes like the Airbus A320. Buses are used to get people on and off because there are no flying bridges.