Vienna International Airport (VIE) welcomed its one-millionth lounge guest of 2025 on 19 December – the first time the milestone has been achieved in a single calendar year. The figure covers all five contract lounges, led by the flagship Vienna Lounge in Terminal 1, and reflects a 28 % jump on 2024. Flughafen Wien AG attributes the growth to a surge in long-haul transfer traffic and a strategic decision by Austrian Airlines to extend business-class access to high-tier Star Alliance Silver members during off-peak hours.
The milestone underscores Vienna’s recovery as a premium hub for Central and Eastern Europe. Lufthansa Group now funnels almost 40 % of its Balkans traffic via Vienna, while Gulf carriers have restored double-daily frequencies that feed premium cabins. Lounge demand has been so strong that the airport will add 1,200 m² of space and dedicate an entire mezzanine for corporate-contract guests by Q2 2027.
![Vienna Airport surpasses one-million lounge users, signalling premium-travel rebound]()
For companies routing staff through Vienna, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) can streamline visa procurement for Austria and onward destinations, offering digital applications, real-time tracking, and corporate dashboards. Ensuring travellers have the correct entry documents in advance minimises last-minute disruptions and helps them make full use of lounge facilities and other premium services.
For mobility teams the trend is important because many assignees transit Vienna on rotational schedules to CEE and the Middle East. Travel managers booking flexible economy tickets may find lounge capacity constraints at peak times, reducing productivity during layovers. Flughafen Wien recommends pre-booking via its online portal; negotiated corporate rates start at €28 per visit.
The airport’s CEO Günther Ofner noted that lounge usage is a ‘leading indicator for high-yield travel’ and expects total passenger numbers to reach 31 million in 2025, only 4 % below the pre-pandemic record. Airlines monitoring premium demand may therefore bring forward capacity upgrades, with Emirates already allocating an Airbus A380 on the Dubai route from March 2026.
The milestone underscores Vienna’s recovery as a premium hub for Central and Eastern Europe. Lufthansa Group now funnels almost 40 % of its Balkans traffic via Vienna, while Gulf carriers have restored double-daily frequencies that feed premium cabins. Lounge demand has been so strong that the airport will add 1,200 m² of space and dedicate an entire mezzanine for corporate-contract guests by Q2 2027.
For companies routing staff through Vienna, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) can streamline visa procurement for Austria and onward destinations, offering digital applications, real-time tracking, and corporate dashboards. Ensuring travellers have the correct entry documents in advance minimises last-minute disruptions and helps them make full use of lounge facilities and other premium services.
For mobility teams the trend is important because many assignees transit Vienna on rotational schedules to CEE and the Middle East. Travel managers booking flexible economy tickets may find lounge capacity constraints at peak times, reducing productivity during layovers. Flughafen Wien recommends pre-booking via its online portal; negotiated corporate rates start at €28 per visit.
The airport’s CEO Günther Ofner noted that lounge usage is a ‘leading indicator for high-yield travel’ and expects total passenger numbers to reach 31 million in 2025, only 4 % below the pre-pandemic record. Airlines monitoring premium demand may therefore bring forward capacity upgrades, with Emirates already allocating an Airbus A380 on the Dubai route from March 2026.
