Skip to main content

Air­port: As­cent con­tin­ues in 2024

A family walks towards a plane at Graz Airport, a young girl is holding her parents' hands and pulling a suitcase behind her.
@ Flughafen Graz/Hummer

Around 820,000 passengers used Graz Airport for their business or private trips last year, 86,000 more than in 2023. This development was fuelled primarily by the charter segment, which recorded an increase of 31%, while the scheduled segment closed the year with growth of around 6.5%. Following a record year in 2023, freight recorded a small decline of around 3.6%.

With this result and the flight submissions received so far for the summer flight schedule, Graz Airport is expecting another positive development. ‘Graz Airport continues to gain momentum,’ says a delighted Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director of the airport. ‘The figures clearly show that the strong desire to travel in the private sector is continuing. Relaxing by the sea, discovering a new country or a new city is a dream that many people are keen to fulfil. At the same time, more and more foreign holidaymakers are coming to Styria by air. In contrast, the business travel segment is still reluctant to travel. The challenging situation of both the regional and European economy and industry is reflected here and in freight. The opening of the Koralm railway at the end of 2025 will further strengthen Graz Airport’s role as a gateway to the world for business, industry and tourism for the Area South.’

‘We have made great strides not only on the ‘airside’, but also on the ‘landside’,’ says Jürgen Löschnig, Managing Director of Graz Airport. ‘We have achieved a lot, especially in the environmental area. For example, the new additional PV system on the car park roof has been producing electricity since December, and with the switch from diesel to HVO 100 and the installation of fixed ground power supply points for the aircraft, we are continuing the consistent reduction of CO2 emissions. The new cafe+co self-service corner in the arrivals area also offers high-quality catering around the clock.’

City Councillor Manfred Eber: ‘Graz Airport is an important hub for our city. It not only connects the people of Graz with the world, but also strengthens the economy and tourism in our provincial capital. The positive figures from 2024 show how indispensable the airport is for international connections, economic strength and the attractiveness of our city as a location. I also find the efforts in terms of sustainability remarkable, such as the new PV system on the car park roof and the consistent reduction of CO2 emissions in everyday airport operations.’

Owner’s representative Wolfgang Malik, CEO Holding Graz: ‘I am delighted about the continuing “climb” of the leading airport in southern Austria. The increase in passenger numbers once again underlines Graz Airport’s position as an important business and tourism hub. Especially with the imminent opening of the Koralm railway at the end of 2025 and the completion of the Semmering Tunnel, the airport will have the unique opportunity to be located at the hub of one of the most dynamic economic areas in Central Europe.’

The 2024 development in detail:

Scheduled and holiday flights:

  • 613,644 passengers chose a scheduled flight for their business or holiday trip, an increase of 6.5 % on 2023. 205,629 passengers, and therefore 31.1 % more than in 2023, flew on a charter flight for their holiday.
  • A total of 10,251 flight movements were recorded in scheduled and charter traffic, which corresponds to an increase of 6.2 %. As in 2023, aircraft capacity utilisation continued to rise.

Cargo:

  • At around 18,700 tonnes, cargo only just missed the record result of 2023 by 3.6 %.

General Aviation:

  • With 30,714 departures and arrivals, General Aviation recorded a decrease of around 8.3%, which was primarily due to a decline in commercial flights and training flights.

Preview of the 2025 summer programme:

7 scheduled destinations, including 5 major transfer airports: Berlin (5x/week), Düsseldorf (5x/week), Frankfurt (27x/week), Hamburg (4x/week), Munich (20x/week), Vienna (20x/week), Zurich (5x/week)

  • 16 holiday flight destinations: Antalya, Brač, Calvi/Corsica, Heraklion/Crete, Hurghada, Karpathos, Kefalonia, Corfu, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas/Gran Canaria (until the end of April and from the beginning of October), Palma de Mallorca, Paros, Rhodes, Skiathos, Tenerife (until the end of April)
  • New: Palma can already be reached directly from Graz from Easter. In total, around 30 more departures are planned to Mallorca than in 2024
  • Single flight/short chain destinations: Dalaman (new!), Malta (new!), Palermo (new!), Paphos, Riga (new!), Tivat, Valencia
  • At the current planning stage, a total of 30 destinations in 14 countries will be served directly from Graz.

‘In particular, the dense offer to the 5 major transfer airports means that you can easily reach around 190 destinations around the world with just one transfer,’ emphasises Wolfgang Grimus