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Case study: Vienna Airport’s south terminal expansion project
Journal of Airport Management,
19
(2),
110-118
(2025)
Abstract
This paper describes the collaboration between two airport departments that depend on each other to develop a commercial terminal area. It outlines the new opportunities that building information modelling (BIM) planning brings to the planning and construction of a new terminal building at Vienna Airport. It describes how this digital planning tool is helping to facilitate the development of a virtual reality (VR) tool for use by the commercial department in discussions with possible new tenants. Further, it discusses the importance of developing non-aviation commercial revenues, which currently not only contribute to passenger satisfaction but also provide airports with a considerable volume of income to fund infrastructural developments. The paper not only describes new planning tools and the importance of travel retail and food and beverage (F&B) offers, but also how synergies within one company can be used to reduce costs in the process — here specifically in a lower investment for the development of the VR tool.
Keywords: BIM; construction; terminal expansion; openBIM
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Philipp Ahrens has over 28 years’ experience in the aviation industry covering many different operational, planning, consultative and commercial areas at Munich Airport and for four years at Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, with work experience in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Since 2021, Philipp has been Senior Vice President Center Management at Vienna Airport, managing with his team approximately 100 retail, food and beverage (F&B) and service units at the airport. Philipp holds a Bachelor of European Law from the University of West London and an MBA in aviation from Danube University in Krems, Austria, where he is also a guest lecturer within the airport module. In 2023 Philipp became Chairman of the ACI Europe Commercial Forum.
Stefan Kovacs has 30 years’ experience in the construction industry (including international projects). He studied civil engineering and water management at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, civil engineering at the University of Bristol, and building technology engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland, Austria. Stefan’s career encompasses over 60 successful projects not only in the field of construction but also in sustainability, with a strong focus on digitalisation. Under his supervision, Vienna Airport was transformed in 2023 to a CO2 neutral operating airport after his team designed the largest photovoltaic system in Austria (close to the runway). In 2022 Stefan co-founded VIE BUILD GmbH (part of the Airport Vienna Group.) The company’s main remit is digitalisation in construction projects (eg building information modelling [BIM], openBIM, programming, software development, data scanning, modelling of data points, transformation of old designs into BIM, geographic information systems).
