Wien-Aspern Airport Flugplatz Aspern | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Defunct | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Vienna | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Aspern, Vienna, Austria | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 23 June 1912; 113 years ago (1912-06-23) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 30 April 1977 (1977-04-30) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 48°13′29″N16°30′30″E / 48.22472°N 16.50833°E /48.22472; 16.50833 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  LOWA Location in Austria | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Wien-Aspern Airport (ICAO:LOWA) was an airport inAspern, Vienna, Austria. It was established in 23 June, 1912, and operated until closure in 30 April, 1977. Throughout its history, it was used by theAustro-Hungarian Air Force duringWorld War I,Luftwaffe during theAnschluss inWorld War II, and theSoviet Air Forces duringRed Army occupation in the 1950s.
Wien-Aspern Airport was built on 23 June 1912 as the largest airport in Europe. It opened with an international flight meeting, which saw over 100,000 spectators and 6,000 automobiles.[1] From 15 to 22 June 1913, the second International Flight Meeting took place in Wien-Aspern Airport. The event was attended byEmperor Franz Joseph I as the highest guest on the Day of the Air Fleet, and futureEmpress of AustriaZita of Bourbon-Parma, was also present during the flying competitions.[2]
After the assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne, civil aviation ceased. It became the pilot training ground for the AustrianAustro-Hungarian Air Force, and was also used to test aircraft build by Esslingen aircraft manufacturer Aviatik. In 1918, an airmail service was established, connecting Kiev and Odessa to Aspern. When World War I ended in 1919, the airfield was ordered to be destroyed under theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.[3] However, in 1922, Wien-Aspern Airport fell under ownership of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Transport, reopening international routes to the airport.By the mid-1920s, the airfield received expansions and was rightly referred to as an airport. On April 27, 1925, the first scheduled flight between Vienna and Poland took place with Junkers F-13 operated by Polish airline LOT. On 12 July, 1931, airship LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" visited Aspern Airport, which attracted tens of thousands of onlookers and politicians. In 1937, Austrian military pilots demonstrated their skills during an air show, which also attracted large crowds of onlookers.[1]
During theAnschluss of 12 March 1938, the airfield was immediately converted for military use. The airfield was operated by theLuftwafte, and was heavily fortified with bunkers, blast walls,anti-air positions, and hangars. After April 1938, the Germans constructed 3 concrete hangars, a paved hangar apron, paved taxiways, new aprons, and new hangars. The airfield was equipped with a fully illuminated field, a searchlight, and a beam approach system. It became the main hub for flights to and from the Balkans. DLH workshops and permanent offices of the National Weather Service were based there. Infrastructure included 11 hangars, 4 large and 3 medium hardstands in the southwest corner, 1 large double-bay, 1 large, and 1 medium hardstands in the southeast corner. Facilities included separate workshop buildings, fire station, motor pool, and garages in the southwest corner, while there were station admin offices, flight control, dispensary, and canteens in the southern boundary behind the hangars. Station facilities included technical and administrative offices, officers’ quarters, barracks, messes, canteens, station HQ, and stores buildings. There also was a radio training school housed in wooden huts behind the southwestern hangars. Most of these facilities were built with brick. The centre of the airport was spared from bombing, as Allied bombers mainly targeted the Air Force base and the nearby refinery in Lobau. On 15 February, 1944, theFifteenth Air Force bombed the airfield, leaving the landing area heavily crated and unserviceable by aircraft. From 3-5 April 1945, the infrastructure was demolished by the Germans and the airfield was evacuated as Soviet soldiers began surrounding the Vienna. The airfield was severely damaged from Allies bombing, and was captured by theRed Army in April 1945.[1][4]
The following are the Luftwaffe units that were based in Wien-Aspern Airport from 1938 to 1945:
During the Red Army occupation, Wien-Aspern Airport primarily operated as a bomber base. On November 1954, aircraft such as the SovietMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 took off and landed daily. Wien-Aspern Airfield was equipped with a mobile flight control station, a VHF antenna on the roof of the barracks building, and a radio installation located 20 meters east of the outer landing beacon. There also was a long-wire antenna, which had been dismantled by 16 November, 1954. There was one Soviet fighter regiment and one bomber regiment operating 34Petlyakov Pe-2s assigned to the airfield. It was reported that the bomber regiment was either brought up to strength, or a second regiment had been activated.[6]
The following are the Soviet units that were based in Wien-Apern during the Red Army occupation:
After the occupation by the Red Army ended in 1955, the airfield was taken over by the Austrian Aero-Club. Various aviation activities such as pilot training, parachuting, and gliding were held there.[1] From 1966 to 1977, races were occasionally held on the runways, drawing large attention from the town of Aspern. The track was named Flugpatz Aspern Circuit. The track length was 2,600 meters, had 8 curves, and there was 26 starters.[10]
Due to the expansion of runway 16/34 atVienna Schwechat Airport, the airfield became an obstruction to the approaching zone. This would lead the closure of Wien-Aspern Airport. Shortly before closure, another festival was held on the airport. The last aircraft took off on April 30, 1977, dragging a black flag behind to mark the end of Wien-Aspern Airport.[1]
In 1980, the airfield remained unused until the construction of the General Motors plant (Opel Austria) began, becoming operation by 1982. The disused runways were used by the ARBÖ automobile club as a driving course for traffic training until 2008.[1] In 1997, a commemorative air show organized by theMotorflugunion Klosterneuburg was held. Various airplanes, helicopters, and ultralights gathered at the former airport. Led by veteran pilot Gustav Holdosi, a section of runway 18/36 was restored for the event. The event lasted two weeks, and was the final aviation event at Aspern.[1]
Officials sought land for re-development, and Wien-Aspern Airport was considered.In 2005, an architectural competition was announced, and plans to build 8,000 apartments 7,500 industrial jobs, and 18,000 office jobs were made. A stone memorial plaque was built on the old access road to commemorate the airport's history.[1] In 2007, construction began as the plan was approved by the Vienna City Council. It was one of Europe’s largest urban development projects, and construction initiated in 2010, encompassing over 240 hectares for more than 25,000 residents and over 20,000 jobs. The expansion of theVienna S-Bahn was also built on the former airfield, with theWien-Aspern Nord Station being built.[3][11]
