Gulf Air & Turkish Airlines Expand Codeshare to Vienna, Boosting Middle-East–Austria Connectivity
EU Entry/Exit System: Austria Joins Digital-Border Roll-out Transforming Schengen Travel
Germany Extends Land-Border Checks; Austrian Travellers Face Spot Controls Until March 2026
Latest News
Wizz Air Turns Bratislava into Vienna’s ‘Secondary Gateway’ After Closing VIE Base
Wizz Air has closed its Vienna base and expanded rapidly at Bratislava, adding seven new routes and positioning the Slovak capital as a low-cost alternative gateway for Vienna. The move shifts passenger flows, affects corporate travel budgets, and may ease slot pressure at VIE.
SalamAir Announces First Direct Vienna–Muscat Service, Opening Austrian Access to Oman
SalamAir will start Austria’s first direct flights to Muscat next June, giving business and leisure travellers a time-saving, non-stop option and strengthening Vienna Airport’s Gulf network.
Austria Cuts 2025 Immigration Quota to 5,616 Residence Permits
Austria has lowered its 2025 quota for numerically-capped residence permits to 5,616, down 230 from 2024. Family reunification receives 86 % of the places, with provincial sub-quotas opening on 2 January. Employers remain free to use uncapped routes such as the Red-White-Red Card, but tighter family numbers could complicate talent attraction and retention.
Parliament Extends Freeze on Refugee Family-Reunification Rights to July 2026
Austria has extended its suspension of family-reunification rights for refugees until 2 July 2026. The government cites local resource pressures; NGOs say the move breaches EU law and harms integration. Employers with refugee staff should expect at least another year without a family-reunification pathway and plan support mechanisms accordingly.
Biometric Entry/Exit System: Austrian Airports Warn of January Queue Surge
Austrian airports will have to process far more non-EU passengers through the new biometric Entry/Exit System from 9 January, raising the risk of multi-hour queues. Vienna has added staff and kiosks, but HR teams should build extra buffer time into itineraries to avoid missed appointments and connections.
EU Visa-Waiver Regime Under Scrutiny—Commission Report Flags Risks for Austrian Firms
An EU report warns that several visa-free partner countries are not meeting liberalisation benchmarks, raising the possibility that Schengen visas could be re-imposed within weeks. Austrian companies with operations in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership states should audit travel patterns and pre-apply for multi-entry visas as a hedge.
Vienna Airport Welcomes Its One-Millionth Lounge Guest of 2025—Premium Travel Rebounds
Vienna Airport has surpassed one million lounge users in 2025, signalling a robust rebound in premium and corporate travel. HR travel managers should be aware of potential lounge congestion during peak periods and may wish to pre-book access or negotiate corporate allotments.