“Belly up” is a good thing over at Vienna International Airport. Thanks to an increase in long-haul passenger services, the airport closed the year on an absolute cargo high. Not many can boast 22% cargo growth on previous year, nor a 5% increase on pre-pandemic 2019. That translates into a total of 297,945 tons of cargo handled, last year. And given that pharma handling registered a 15.3% increase, coming in at 4,238 tons handled, the airport is in the money with its 2024 record air cargo year.

It was the return of Asian carriers such as Hainan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA), that enabled capacity growth with their services to Shenzhen, Chengdu and Tokyo. Qatar Airways, too, increased its frequencies to Vienna, as did a number of other airlines. In total, cargo carried in passenger bellies saw an increase of 44% – in absolute terms, 125,103 tons of cargo were transported on these services in 2024. Freighter-carried cargo saw a slight -3% decline to the previous year, at 82,610 tons transported. Whereas trucking volumes grew 24% to 90,199 tons, contributing significantly to the 2024 air cargo record. In terms of import/export, import was the winner at 163,026 tons (20% up on previous year – with much of it being e-commerce) flying in to VIE and being forwarded either domestically or across CEE. Exports (up 23% on previous year) totaled 134,918 tons of cargo and were headed mostly for Asia and the USA.
Julian Jäger, joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, commented: “With the best cargo results in the history of Vienna Airport, we are strengthening our position as a central hub for air cargo services in Central and Eastern Europe. This record clearly proves our first-class infrastructure and high quality of service, convincing customers worldwide. The strong growth is evident in both imported goods and global exports. The record regarding pharmaceutical handling is particularly pleasing: Vienna Airport is thus establishing itself even more strongly as a leading logistics expert for pharmaceutical shipments.”
Michael Zach, Senior Vice President Ground Handling & Cargo Operations of Vienna Airport, added: “The record result for 2024 marks an impressive achievement by our cargo handling team. At the same time, we have set the course for further positive development. With the extension of the handling contract with Lufthansa Cargo and the IATA certification for the handling of lithium batteries, we have already taken the next steps to maintain a sustained growth path.”