On September 6 and 7, the time has come again: the Hinterstoisser airbase in Zeltweg will host the “Airpower 2024”, the largest air show spectacle in Central Europe will take place. Only the arrival and departure of the expected 300,000 visitors should be quiet over the two days – thanks to a sophisticated traffic concept. An outlook.
What is it actually like when half of Austria makes its way to a small town in just two days? When, as on September 6 and 7, an estimated 300,000 visitors by car, bus and train crowd into the municipality of Zeltweg, which has a population of just 7,114, to attend the “Airpower 2024” event at the Hinterstoisser airbase. “Airpower 2024” at the Hinterstoisser airbase?
Colonel Peter Braun smiles. The officer is responsible for logistics at the Styrian military command. However, he is also responsible for the traffic concept of the mega air show and is therefore the first point of contact when it comes to organizing the arrival and departure of the many “Airpower” fans. “Getting 150,000 visitors safely and orderly into the Murtal funnel every day – and back home again from there – is a challenge that is actually almost impossible to manage,” he says right at the start of our conversation. Actually. In fact, Colonel Braun and his team have been working tirelessly since June last year to make the impossible possible. Their plan is complex, but this much in advance: it involves bus connections from all over the country. Special trains. A revised parking concept, relief stations, lots of shuttle buses and a new situation center. And yes, even if it sounds contradictory at first: it’s also about rounding off the air show with lots of side events and accompanying events.
“Our advantage is that much of what is in the new transportation concept was already in place at the last ‘Airpower 2022’ were able to implement,” says Colonel Braun. “And most of it already worked very well back then.” Most of it – but not all: there was congestion at Zeltweg railroad station, especially on departure. Many drivers were unable to reach their pre-booked parking spaces, but had no access to alternative parking spaces. There was a lack of shuttle buses from the more distant parking areas and the sides of the main road through Zeltweg were full of coaches, which did not necessarily make traffic any smoother. “We took a critical look at all the negative feedback, learned our lessons and implemented improvements,” says Braun. “Only in a few areas was it a matter of principle, in most cases it was about minor improvements, about details.”
What does that mean in concrete terms? What should work better this year than two years ago? For example, getting to the event by special train. This year, there will be direct rail connections to the event from Villach, Salzburg, Linz and Vienna on both days of the event (2022 only on Saturday). However, unlike two years ago, these will not run all the way to Zeltweg, but will stop in Knittelfeld (the two trains from Linz and Vienna) and Judenburg (Salzburg and Villach) beforehand this year. From there, dozens of shuttle buses will take visitors to the airbase. “This relieves the pressure on Zeltweg station,” says Colonel Braun. “The stop there is designed for ‘only’ 4,000 to 5,000 visitors per hour, the reduction in the number of passengers from the special trains should be clearly noticeable and should also speed up boarding and disembarking from and to the other trains on site.”
Braun and his team also have high hopes for a new regulation of parking space allocations. More specifically: The removal of the allocations. “Two years ago, we offered parking lot tickets in advance for the first time, which was very well received and which we will do again this year and continue to promote,” says Braun. “However, the tickets were allocated to specific parking spaces back then, which turned out to be a problem during the event.” For example, if drivers came to Zeltweg by a different route than originally planned due to traffic jams, detour or other reasons, they were unable to use any of the parking spaces offered there, which may even have been free. Instead, they traveled unnecessary kilometers to get to “their” originally booked parking space, unintentionally increasing traffic in the entire region. “This allocation will therefore no longer exist this year,” says Braun. With one exception: the Kraubath parking lot in the northeast of Zeltweg. “The parking space allocations worked very well there,” says Colonel Braun, “but as with all the other parking areas, we are increasing the number of shuttle trains and shuttle buses to the event area.”
As in 2022, there will once again be bus connections from all over the country to Zeltweg this year, and the number of buses will be increased again. The aim this year is also to react more quickly to possible traffic restrictions caused by accidents or traffic jams, for example. For the first time, there will therefore be a joint situation center of armypolice, Asfinag, district administration and ÖBB directly at the airbase. “If the worst comes to the worst, we can coordinate quickly on site and respond to challenges at lightning speed,” says Colonel Braun.
And what is this ominous supporting program all about? How are even more events and activities supposed to help ease the arrival and departure situation? Colonel Braun smiles again. “The point is that these additional events will help us to better distribute the flow of visitors,” he explains. “Every visitor who stays on site longer after the end of the display, for example to visit one of the numerous events in the region or the planned open-air cinema in our spectator area, helps us to flatten traffic peaks and overcome the challenge of arrivals and departures.” And to make the impossible possible: getting 150,000 visitors safely and orderly into the Murtal funnel every day – and back home again from there.
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