Just a short update. The Airport replied to the AOPA Facebook Post. Here the Translation from deepl
Dear AOPA Austria,
We take note of your comments regarding the current pricing and can of course understand your displeasure. We are also confronted with increased infrastructure costs, be it due to higher fuel prices, rising energy costs or increased labor costs. As a commercial enterprise, we are also obliged to meet the increased demands.
General Aviation undoubtedly plays an important role, particularly as a driver for the training of future pilots and as a reliable part of aviation that remains stable even in times of crisis. We appreciate the importance of this segment, which not only contributes to training, but also to attracting wealthy guests, business people and industrialists to Salzburg.
We would like to emphasize that we are not immune to the challenges of inflation and other economic influences.
With this in mind, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Alexander Klaus
Press spokesman for Salzburg Airport
and the AOPA Responce (seems like they have seen it coming…)
Dear Mr. Klaus,
Thank you very much for your frank comments!
To start with – LOWS is a wonderful airport with extremely nice staff who make an incredible effort to be there for us pilots.
Some time ago I had a personal conversation with the airport manager – she told me straight to my face that GA is not welcome at LOWS.
To be upset on the one hand that everything is becoming more expensive and to complain in various media about the reduced use of the airport and on the other hand to rigorously reject activities such as a fly-in outside the season because of the alleged lack of parking facilities is a strong piece (your webcam shows a largely orphaned apron).
I don’t even want to go into detail about the pricing for refueling the small aircraft …
We will do everything we can to help the airport in Klagenfurt – there are already acceptable fees, reasonable fuel prices and a management that also accepts GA.
Shouldn’t we also try it in Salzburg? I can already promise our support and that of the pilots!
Best regards
Robert Michl
AOPA Austria
all in all seems very bad – probably the Aeroclub of Austria could do some loobying (almost all GA Pilots are Members there) – but for sure they are on Christmas Holiday ;)
I could not write such a response (from Klaus) with a straight face. The “we wish you…” sentence is a middle finger. It speaks volumes.
But the “press spokesman” doesn’t run the airport, in the same way that a “business development manager” of one of my suppliers (which has gradually doubled its prices) doesn’t run that company (and should be fired since he is a complete waste of space while being paid probably 50k).
On a German pilot forum a user was told on the phone that MTOW<1000kg aircraft will be exempted from the LOWS mandatory handling. Not documented in writing, thus remaining unproven until tested.
It seems like what is needed is an adult conversation about what it costs to run an airport, who benefits from the facility, who should pay, and of course, how much should they pay.
We used to have a fantastic system in Geneva but they found a loophole to kick out small aircraft. “thE GRass runway is tOO Close TO The bIG RUnWAY.”
I’m always baffled by our inability to figure this out, since, while constantly under threat, the US seems to have done so pretty well.
LightSportAirman wrote:
On a German pilot forum a user was told on the phone that MTOW<1000kg aircraft will be exempted from the LOWS mandatory handling. Not documented in writing, thus remaining unproven until tested.
I read that too, but didn’t find it in the document…
Edit: The marked sentence is their expression that all GA-aircraft are required to get handling…
Maybe they should get rid of the press spokesperson to reduce labour costs. That guy alone should compensate for all light GA.
Marcel wrote:
Edit: The marked sentence is their expression that all GA-aircraft are required to get handling…
Well, thats Euro 409.00, not the Euro 100 reported?!
Buckerfan wrote:
Well, thats Euro 409.00, not the Euro 100 reported?!
It rather seems badly worded. With the next sentence they state that aircraft below 3t MTOW have to use the “Apron Service”, and from above the whole “Handling Package”. So it looks like these 93.10 EUR plus landing fee will apply…
The problem is very simple. Because those airports are treated as profit centers and not part of the national infrastructure, they can do what the hell they want to outprice whomever they deem undesired. And the group they deem so is too small and too fractured to be of any political clout.
The only way to stop this abuse is to get all the airports into the public infrastructure legislation where it is clearly defined that what is public must be able to be used by anyone wishing to use it without any due problems. Add to that that all charges levied at an airport need to be approved by the CAA, which so far is valid for landing and parking fees but not for handling. It would also be a massive step if an European regulation would e.g. ban compulsory handling for any aircraft below 2 tons similar to the waiver of the eurocontrol fees.
Salzburg will loose all GA due to this, which appears to be their goal. I don’t know if the local clubs are exempt or if they will equally be priced out, but it is simply horrendous that such reglements are introduced without any consultation and with snappy answer letters to anyone who cares. But it also makes it brutally clear what “clout” AOPA has in the eyes of those people: None whatsoever.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Salzburg will loose all GA due to this, which appears to be their goal.
Probably “GA” is not a great description. Reading the response above they like GA but think of it as jet traffic. I assume many airports like GA which is heavy, brings in quite a bit of money and is flown by a professional crew which will turn around the plane fast and not use up any parking. Once you no longer fit in with this pattern the problems start. Need parking? Oh problems… Only xxxx kg? We will charge you anyway… You can not be on planned slot time due to VFR requirements? Not good…
