50 billion euros for infrastructure

Companies are planning an investment offensive.

Allianz. Around 20 Austrian companies from the energy, mobility, and digitalization sectors, including Austrian Airlines, APG, Asfinag, A1 Telekom Austria, Vienna Airport, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), and Verbund, plan to invest €50 billion in domestic infrastructure by 2030. This is the result of a roundtable discussion hosted by Infrastructure Minister Peter Hanke (SPÖ) on Tuesday.

The aim is to pool economic and innovative strength, said the minister. Also discussed at the meeting were measures to reduce bureaucracy and one-stop shops for approval procedures, clearer legal frameworks, and a stronger voice for Austria in Brussels. The framework conditions must be right and adapted, said Hanke. He promised regular exchanges with the companies that have joined forces to form the Alliance for the Future of Transport and Infrastructure (ZOVI): "We are trying to form a clear alliance with the companies." The package also aims to send a signal for Austria as a business location.

From ÖBB to AUA

The announced investments include approximately €19.7 billion earmarked for railway expansion in the ÖBB framework plan for 2025–2030. Asfinag also plans to invest €11.8 billion in road construction by 2030. The Infrastructure Minister emphasized the importance of considering all modes of transport and service providers together. He also expressed a "clear commitment to aviation."

Fees too high. Austrian Airlines (AUA) plans to invest a total of five billion euros by the mid-2030s to bring its aircraft fleet up to date with the latest technology. However, costs, including fees and charges, have spiraled out of control in Austria in recent years, complained the head of the Lufthansa subsidiary, Annette Mann. Per passenger, they are twice as high as in Brussels and five times as high as in Madrid. Mann called for framework conditions under which the airline can offer competitive services. To this end, the airline also intends to develop new ideas through digitalization.

A1 CEO Marcus Grausam also advocated for better framework conditions. His company invests half a billion euros annually in the expansion of digital infrastructure, for example in fiber optic expansion. Measures to reduce bureaucracy could help more than subsidies, the A1 CEO said. Grausam also suggested better coordination of construction projects: "Then roads only have to be dug up once."

courier