No more night flights, no more private jets – from the end of 2025, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol will get serious and scale back its offer in favor of climate protection. How are these plans handled by a private airline from Upper Austria? GlobeAir boss Bernhard Fragner spoke to the “Krone” about the planned ban in Amsterdam, populism and why private jets are needed.
The goal is quieter, cleaner and better aviation – this is how Amsterdam Airport Schiphol justifies its announcement to ban private jets in addition to night flights from the end of 2025. Plans that alienate major airlines such as KLM, but also surprise Bernhard Fragner, the general manager of GlobeAir.
“I think more will jump on the bandwagon soon”
“We take note of that,” says the boss of the private airline from Hörsching, who speaks of a “populist occupation of the subject”. “I’m surprised this is happening so late, and I think more will jump on the bandwagon soon,” says Fragner.
The Upper Austrian fleet went to 122 different airports in March, with France and Switzerland as the main markets. What conclusions should GlobeAir draw from announcements like Schiphol’s? “We approach the subject calmly and deliberately, look for solutions and are not guided by populism,” says Fragner. “A lot is happening in the field of sustainable aviation.”
Despite growing climate awareness, the airline’s booking situation is stable towards 2022. For Fragner, there is no doubt that decision makers and top performers from business, sport, politics and the arts need private jets to save time: “A Formula 1 star like Max Verstappen can’t drive a two-day train journey from Nice to a race at Silverstone.”
Linz with Vienna, Salzburg, Graz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt on the way to climate neutrality
Zero emissions by 2050 – Linz Airport has also committed to this goal and has joined a working group of Austrian commercial airports, which also includes Vienna, Salzburg, Graz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. What measures are being taken in Hörsching to reduce CO2 emissions to zero? The airport managed by Norbert Draskovits has already started a lot.
Linz, for example, has a photovoltaic system on the roofs of the cargo terminal and an equipment hall, as well as a solar-powered passenger staircase that passengers use to board and disembark. The thermal renovation of the passenger terminal’s glass facade significantly reduced the need for heating, which in turn reduced pollutant emissions.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
