EQS-News: Flughafen Wien AG: Outlook for 2022: following low, pandemic-related passenger traffic in Q1, the willingness of Austrians to travel is expected to lead to a significant rise in volume in summer 2022

EQS-News: Flughafen Wien AG / Key word(s): Forecast/Miscellaneous
Flughafen Wien AG: Outlook for 2022: following low, pandemic-related
passenger traffic in Q1, the willingness of Austrians to travel is
expected to lead to a significant rise in volume in summer 2022

18.01.2022 / 08:00
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

————————————————————————–

Vienna Airport – outlook for 2022: following the low, pandemic-related
passenger traffic in the first quarter, the unwavering willingness of
Austrians to travel is expected to lead to a significant rise in passenger
volume in the summer of 2022 – About 17 million passengers expected at
Vienna Airport

Vienna Airport reports 10.4 million passengers in the crisis year of 2021,
a decline of 67.1% from the pre-crisis level of 2019 – 13.1 million
passengers handled by the Flughafen Wien Group (- 66.8%)

– Traffic forecast for 2022: 21 million passengers expected in the
Flughafen Wien Group and 17 million at Vienna Airport, corresponding to
about 50% of passenger volume in the pre-crisis year of 2019

– Earnings outlook for 2022: Vienna Airport will have to cope with a
pandemic-related revenue loss totalling € 1.3 billion in the years 2021 to
2023 – economic turnaround expected in 2022 – Revenue about € 560 million,
EBITDA at least €172 million – Climate protection investment drive
underway to enable CO₂ neutral airport operations – Business location
projects add 1,000 new jobs to the airport site

“2022 will bring an upturn in passenger traffic – but the way out of the
crisis is still a long one”
“The aviation sector is slowly recovering. We recorded 10.4 million
passengers at Vienna Airport in 2021, comprising a passenger volume which
is, after all, one-third higher than in the first coronavirus year of
2020. The first months of this year will still be very challenging, but we
anticipate a significant upturn in passenger traffic beginning when the
summer flight schedule takes effect at the end of March 2022. From today’s
perspective, we could reach a level of 17 million passengers in 2022.
Hopefully the situation has bottomed out, and I would particularly like to
thank all Vienna Airport employees for their strong commitment during the
entire time of the crisis. Thanks to their dedication and the commitment
of all our partners at the airport site, Vienna Airport was the most
punctual flight hub in the EU and third most punctual European airport.
The summer flight schedule looks promising and from today’s perspective we
will re-open the newly designed Terminal 2 before the summer. Our
passengers will experience a first-class atmosphere thanks to the large,
centralised security checks, a bright and modern interior design, new
shops, an expanded restaurant offering and a very exclusive lounge
featuring an area of 2,360 m²” states Julian Jäger, Member of the
Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

“2022 should lead to an economic turnaround despite the pandemic”
“In the years 2021 to 2023, Vienna Airport will have to cope with a
revenue loss totalling € 1.3 billion caused by the coronavirus crisis.
However, 2022 should see an economic turnaround. The basis for this
improvement is a massive cost savings programme, public sector aid, in
particular Austria’s coronavirus short-time work scheme which will
probably end in March 2022, along with the incredible commitment of the
entire staff. We have mastered the crisis up until now without having to
dismiss any employees for operational reasons. We anticipate a substantial
increase in revenue and earnings for the entire year 2022. Our climate
protection investments are proceeding at full speed in spite of the
crisis. Austria’s largest photovoltaic plant involving investments of
about € 20 million will come on stream at the airport, and the supply of
district heat will be CO₂ neutral. In this way we will be able to operate
in a CO₂ neutral manner in the near future,” says Günther Ofner, Member of
the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

13.1 million passengers (-66.8% vs. 2019) handled by the Flughafen Wien
Group in 2021
Flughafen Wien AG (Vienna Airport and the international strategic
investments in Malta Airport and Kosice Airport) reported a total of 13.1
million passengers in the year 2021, comprising a decrease of 66.8% from
the pre-crisis year of 2019.

10.4 million passengers (-67.1% vs. 2019) at Vienna Airport
Vienna Airport also registered a massive decline in the number of
passengers it handled in the year 2021, registering a total of 10,405,513
passengers. This comprises a drop of 67.1% from the pre-crisis year of
2019. Passenger volume compared to 2019 also declined with respect to
transfer traffic (-65.0%) and local passengers (-67.7%). The number of
starts and landings fell by 58.2%, whereas capacity utilisation of the
aircraft (seat load factor) decreased by 14.8 percentage points to 62.5%.
Cargo volume showed a downward development, declining by 7.9% in the year
2021.

Development of international strategic investments
The international strategic investments of the Flughafen Wien Group were
also strongly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Malta Airport
reported a passenger volume of 2,540,335 travellers, representing a
decline of 65.2% from 2019. Kosice Airport handled 166,515 passengers in
2021, comprising a decrease of 70.0% compared to the pre-crisis year of
2019.

Forecast for 2022 passenger development: about 21 million passengers
expected in the Flughafen Wien Group and approx. 17 million passengers at
Vienna Airport
The year 2022 is expected to see an upswing in flight traffic but will
remain a challenging time. From today’s perspective, the first three to
six months of the year will remain weak, but a substantial increase in
passenger volumes is expected starting in the summer and in the second
half of 2022. Flughafen Wien AG expects about 17 million travellers at
Vienna Airport in the entire year 2022 and about 21 million travellers in
the Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport and the international strategic
investments in Malta Airport and Kosice Airport).

Financial guidance 2022
The Flughafen Wien Group has mastered the current crisis well thanks to
its sound economic basis. From today’s perspective, revenue in 2022 is
expected to reach a level of approx. € 560 million, generate a positive
EBITDA of at least € 172 million and a positive consolidated net profit of
at least € 20 million. Net debt of the company will likely be reduced to a
level below € 50 million. Investments are anticipated to total approx. €
84 million in 2022.

Enhanced comfort for passengers: new shopping and restaurant offerings and
newly designed Terminal 2 with an exclusive lounge spanning 2,360 m² and
central security screening
From an operational perspective, Vienna Airport performed well in 2021 in
spite of major challenges related to increasingly dense peak air traffic
congestion, changing flight schedules and strict travel regulations which
were conscientiously adhered to in the terminal by public authorities,
military personnel, airlines and handling agents. As a result, Vienna
Airport was the most punctual flight hub in the EU in 2021 and the third
most punctual airport in all of Europe. Passengers will enjoy numerous new
features at Vienna Airport. New shops and restaurants opened in Terminal 3
in 2021, namely AÏDA, Manner, Wiener Bierbar 1837 and dean&david. This
will be followed by further restaurant highlights from celebrity chef
Wolfgang Puck starting in 2022 as well as the coffee brand Bieder & Maier,
Veganista/LaLa and Trześniewski. From today’s perspective, the newly
designed Terminal 2 will be put into operation before the summer of 2022.
In addition to the new centralised security checks and the new shopping
and restaurant offering, another special highlight is the new airport
lounge covering an area of 2,360 m² with a view of the airport apron.

Sustainable growth at the airport despite the crisis: logistics firms
locate at the site – airport to put Austria’s largest photovoltaic plant
into operation and introduce CO₂ neutral supply of district heat
The COVID-19 test offering at Vienna Airport has been well received. More
than 300,000 antigen and PCR tests have been carried out since the testing
station was put into service in May 2020. The test results are available
on the same day. The AirportCity is also growing. Deutsche Logistik
Holding DLH will open a logistics park at Vienna Airport operating on an
area of 45.000 m², DHL Air is building its headquarters at the airport hub
and Helios Real Estate is constructing a logistics centre on 21 hectares.
Vienna Airport will also continue with the resolute implementation of its
sustainability strategy in 2022. Austria’s largest photovoltaic plant
covering an area of 24 hectares will be put into operation in 2022, and
district heat will be converted to a CO₂ neutral supply. As a result,
Vienna Airport has taken a major step towards achieving its objective of
being a truly “green airport”.

Traffic results in December 2021: Slight upward trend continues

Flughafen Wien Group: 1,192,856 passengers in December 2021
The slight upward trend with respect to the development of passenger
volumes also continued at the end of the year. In December 2021, the
number of passengers handled by the Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport,
Malta Airport, Kosice Airport) equalled 1,192,856 travellers and thus
about four times the comparable figure for December 2020. However, this
still comprised a drop of 59.8% from the pre-crisis level of December
2019.

Vienna Airport: fourfold increase to 921,602 passengers in December 2021
The number of passengers handled by Vienna Airport in the month of
December 2021 was about four times higher than in the crisis month of
December 2020, rising from 226,837 to 921,602 travellers. Nevertheless,
passenger volume was still 62.6% lower than the pre-crisis level of
December 2019.

Traffic results in detail
The number of local passengers at Vienna Airport in December 2021 fell by
64.5% from the comparable figure before the coronavirus crisis (December
2019), and transfer passenger traffic declined by 55.0%. The number of
flight movements was down 43.6% in December 2021. In contrast, the cargo
business increased, with cargo volume at Vienna Airport equalling 23,947
tonnes, a rise of 5.3% from the pre-crisis level of December 2019.

The total number of passengers at Vienna Airport flying to destinations in
Western Europe was down by 63.7% in December 2021 from the pre-crisis
level (December 2019), whereas Eastern European traffic decreased by
53.3%. Passenger traffic to North America declined by 56.6% compared to
the pre-crisis level (December 2019), and the number of passengers flying
to Africa was down by 52.0%. Passenger volumes to the Middle East and Far
East were down by 61.4% and 81.8% respectively from the level preceding
the coronavirus crisis (December 2019).

Malta Airport reported a drop in passenger volume of 46.7% in the month of
December 2021 compared to the pre-crisis level (December 2019), whereas
the total number of passengers handled at Kosice Airport decreased by
33.0% in the same period.

Details on traffic results for December 2021 can be found in the table
below.

Traffic Development 2021

Vienna Airport
(VIE)            
             
  12/2021 12/2020 12/2019 01-12/2021 Diff.% Diff. %
to 2020 to 2019
Passengers 921,602 226,837 2,466,838 10.405.523 +33.2 -67.1
arr+dep+transit
Local passengers 711,582 172,664 2,003,019 7.849.778 +24.6 -67.7
arr+dep
Transfer passengers 205,792 51,464 457,040 2.515.584 +67.9 -65.0
arr+dep
Flight movements 11,649 4,077 20,666 111.567 +16.4 -58.2
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep (in 23,947 19,667 22,733 261.299 +19.9 -7.9
tonnes)
MTOW (in tonnes) 501,648 181,942 851,067 4.733.320 +18.7 -56.5
             
Malta Airport (MLA, fully
consolidated)        
             
  12/2021 12/2020 12/2019 01-12/2021 Diff.% Diff. %
to 2020 to 2019
Passengers 254,535 46,475 477,309 2,540,335 +45.3 -65.2
arr+dep+transit
Local passengers 253,871 46,061 472,187 2,536,018 +46.0 -65.1
arr+dep
Transfer passengers 664 378 5,064 4,226 -61.1 -91.2
arr+dep
Flight movements 2,727 767 3,708 24,516 +29.2 -52.8
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep (in 1,261 1,299 1,572 14,867 -5.8 -9.5
tonnes)
MTOW (in tonnes) 104,745 28,450 142,155 923,341 +29.9 -53.3
             
Kosice Airport (KSC, consolidated at
equity)        
             
  12/2021 12/2020 12/2019 01-12/2021 Diff.% Diff. %
to 2020 to 2019
Passengers 16,719 4,634 24,941 166,515 +72.7 -70.0
arr+dep+transit
Local passengers 16,719 4,634 24,941 166,515 +72.9 -70.0
arr+dep
Transfer passengers 0 0 0 0 n.a. n.a.
arr+dep
Flight movements 200 68 346 1,520 +2.2 -74.8
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep (in 0 0 2 0 -100.0 -100.0
tonnes)
MTOW (in tonnes) 7,049 1,807 7,010 52,975 +63.7 -65.2
             
Vienna Airport and strategic investments (VIE,
MLA, KSC)      
             
  12/2021 12/2020 12/2019 01-12/2021 Diff.% Diff. %
to 2020 to 2019
Passengers 1,192,856 277,946 2,969,088 13,112,373 +35.8 -66.8
arr+dep+transit
Local passengers 982,172 223,359 2,500,147 10,552,311 +29.8 -67.2
arr+dep
Transfer passengers 206,456 51,842 462,104 2,519,810 +67.0 -65.2
arr+dep
Flight movements 14,576 4,912 24,720 137,603 +18.3 -57.6
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep (in 25,208 20,967 24,307 276,166 +18.2 -8.0
tonnes)
MTOW (in tonnes) 613,442 212,199 1,000,232 5,709,636 +20.7 -56.1

Note: Total number of passengers includes local, transfer and transit
passengers,
Traffic data adjusted.

Please address inquiries to:

Corporate Communications Flughafen Wien AG

Press Office
Peter Kleemann, Company Spokesman
Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23000
E-mail: [1]p.kleemann@viennaairport.com
Website: [2]http://www.viennaairport.com

Investor Relations
Christian Schmidt
Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23126
E-mail: christian.schmidt@viennaairport.com

Disclaimer
All statements made in this press release that refer to future
developments of Flughafen Wien AG/Flughafen Wien Group are based on
current assumptions and forecasts of the management. If the premises for
these forecasts do not occur or risks indicated in the risk report arise,
actual results may vary from these estimates. Despite the utmost care, all
forward-looking statements are therefore made without guarantee and
Flughafen Wien AG/Flughafen Wien Group assumes no obligation to update
these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or
developments.

 

————————————————————————–

18.01.2022 This Corporate News was distributed by EQS Group AG.
www.eqs.com

————————————————————————–

Language: English
Company: Flughafen Wien AG
Postfach 1
1300 Wien-Flughafen
Austria
Phone: +43-1-7007/23126
Fax: +43-1-7007/23806
E-mail: investor-relations@viennaairport.com
Internet: http://www.viennaairport.com
ISIN: AT00000VIE62
WKN: A2AMK9
Indices: ATX PRIME
Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt
(Basic Board), Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange; London,
Nasdaq OTC, Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Market)
EQS News ID: 1269645

 
End of News EQS News Service

1269645  18.01.2022 

References

Visible links
1. p.kleemann@viennaairport.com
2. https://eqs-cockpit.com/cgi-bin/fncls.ssp?fn=redirect&url=c138f7a8161a59de192ba7f0b8405579&application_id=1269645&site_id=apa_ots_austria&application_name=news

OTS-ORIGINALTEXT PRESSEAUSSENDUNG UNTER AUSSCHLIESSLICHER INHALTLICHER VERANTWORTUNG DES AUSSENDERS. www.ots.at
© Copyright APA-OTS Originaltext-Service GmbH und der jeweilige Aussender