This week, Vienna Airport served as the focal point for the global air cargo industry, as it hosted the inaugural Vienna Cargo Day on October 9, 2023. Following this groundbreaking event, the FlyPharma Europe 2023 conference unfolded on October 10 and 11, attracting over 400 international air cargo industry professionals. These three days were dedicated to fostering discussions on crucial industry trends, including sustainability, digitalization, and the role of hydrogen. The Vienna Cargo Day was inaugurated by Steven Polmans, President of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), who emphasized the importance of such events in enhancing the industry’s appeal. Many attendees also took the opportunity to explore Vienna International Airport’s state-of-the-art pharmaceutical handling facilities.

Vienna Airport’s strategic geographical location makes it a pivotal cargo hub for Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Plans for stronger connections to North and South America in the future underscore its growing importance.

Michael Zach, Vice President Sales, Finance & Cargo, Ground Handling & Cargo Operations at Vienna Airport, highlighted the airport’s multifaceted strengths, saying, “Besides providing high-quality cargo services, we also offer great know-how at the location. The cargo location Vienna bundles all the necessary competences and creates valuable synergies. The Cargo Day showed that an intensive exchange between all stakeholders is important and advances the location as a whole.”

The allure of Vienna itself, drawing tourists in large numbers each year and contributing to strong belly business thanks to high air traffic volume, enhances the airport’s appeal. Vienna AirportCity, known for its sustainable real estate development and innovative technologies, has become a significant player in Austria’s sustainable building sector.

Wolfgang Scheibenpflug, Senior Vice President Real Estate and Landside Management at Vienna Airport, emphasized the transformative role of Vienna AirportCity: “Vienna AirportCity scores points because it has long been more than just an airport. Only 20 minutes from Vienna city center, we now offer first-class real estate, offices, and cargo space – embedded in urban infrastructure. The fruitful cooperation of the cargo community at the location creates new potential and improves processes at the location.”

Vienna Cargo Day – AirportCity Serves as a Platform for Air Cargo Exchange

The inaugural Vienna Cargo Day brought together over 400 industry experts and stakeholders from Vienna AirportCity and its business partners. Discussions focused on sustainability across all aspects of cargo handling at Vienna Airport. Leading figures such as TIACA President Steven Polmans, Michael Zach, and Wolfgang Scheibenpflug shared insights into the current and future developments in cargo handling, the cargo community, and AirportCity with an emphasis on sustainability and digitalization. Discussions also explored digitalization and the emerging possibilities offered by hydrogen. Among the participants were representatives from industry giants like Lufthansa Cargo, Kühne + Nagel, DHL Global Forwarding, Swissport Cargo Services Austria, and numerous other companies and academic experts.

FlyPharma – Industry Conference at Vienna’s Competence Hub

FlyPharma Europe 2023 in Vienna served as a pivotal platform for discussing contemporary and future challenges in the pharmaceutical and air cargo industry. Key topics included market trends, innovations in the cold chain, the latest regulatory requirements, security technologies, and fostering collaboration among supply chain stakeholders. Vienna Airport’s substantial infrastructure investments in recent years have further solidified its role as one of the most crucial pharmaceutical destinations. The state-of-the-art Pharma Handling Center, inaugurated in 2018 and visited as part of FlyPharma Europe 2023, offers the perfect conditions for a superior, safe, high-quality, transparent, and monitored all-round service in the pharmaceutical industry.

Vienna Airport: A High-Performance Air Cargo Hub with Its Pharma Handling Center

Thanks to significant investments in its logistics infrastructure, Vienna International Airport has established itself as a global cargo gateway for Central and Eastern Europe, playing a vital role in the logistics routes of Eastern Europe. Leading cargo airlines, such as Lufthansa Cargo, Emirates Cargo, Eva Air Cargo, Korean Air Cargo, Asiana, Cargolux, Turkish Cargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, and Silk Way West Airlines, utilize Vienna Airport, especially for intercontinental transports. With the Vienna Airport Pharma Handling Center (VPHC), the airport operates its own competence center for handling temperature-sensitive cargo while maintaining the cold chain.