congress-innsbruck
Photo Credits: Congress Messe Innsbruck

Thanks to the new London Heathrow connection taking off this December, Innsbruck will soon be connected to Europe’s largest long-distance hub for the first time. This new route will make available around 200 additional booking combinations for Innsbruck and its Congress Center and exhibition grounds.


Five times daily, an Austrian Airlines airplane takes off from Innsbruck on its way to Vienna. Similarly, Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt am Main occur four times daily. Thanks in no small part to its connection with two important hubs, the three-time Olympic host city is connected to over 450 booking combinations throughout the world. As of December 4 and in addition to the five weekly flights to and from London Gatwick, four weekly British Airways flights to Heathrow with an Airbus will depart from Europe’s largest airport, London Heathrow, en route to Tirol’s capital city. This will add an additional 200 flight routes to and from Innsbruck, as demonstrated by the flight statistics from hubs such as Fraport, Vienna-Schwechat and London Heathrow. 


Innsbruck conquers international long-distance-flight network
According to Innsbruck Airport Director Marco Pernetta, the impending Heathrow connection will allow passengers from Innsbruck to directly connect to one of British Airway’s (a founding member of the Oneworld Group) most significant long-distance hubs for the first time. “The Star Alliance is the most popular flight network in German speaking countries. Oneworld is very popular in the Americas and in Asia,” said Pernetta. While Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines connect their flights via the Star Alliance, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Qantas Airways and British Airways codeshare via the Oneworld network. “If someone lives in California, for example, and wants to fly with American Airlines, Innsbruck will appear in the system as a viable option,” says the Airport director, providing an example. “Innsbruck can now be directly booked via Heathrow.”

The benefits of improved accessibility are not limited to North America or London itself. Indeed, all continents served by British Airway’s international hub are now closer than ever before. “As a result of quick connection times from Innsbruck, destinations like Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and numerous destinations in South Africa and Asia can be comfortably accessed in addition to Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong,” added Customer Service Manager Güngör Helvaci of British Airways.


Tirol’s economy profits from Heathrow connection
Numerous visitors to Innsbruck’s Congress or fair grounds are not the only ones to benefit from expanded flight-connection options. Tourists and business will also surely reap the rewards. “When you factor in how significant London Heathrow is as Europe’s largest airport and its connections to an enormous network of flights, this new route is of significant benefit to both local tourism and the Tyrolean economy,” emphasized Tyrolean Minister of Economic Affairs Patrizia Zoller-Frischauf in discussing the meaning of the new connection. “International conferences, meetings and fairs consistently demonstrate that Innsbruck is disposed of excellent connections,” reaffirmed Christian Mayerhofer, CEO of the Congress Messe Innsbruck (CMI). In June of this year alone, over 2,000 international researchers travelled to the Innsbruck Congress from around the world to attend the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Conference.

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