Klaus also pointed to a change in
holidaymakers’ booking habits as a reason
for the switch to scheduled services: “We
can also see a trend where airlines not only
provide services on Saturday but also on
Thursday or Monday or Friday, because the
way of travelling has changed.
“Passengers are not only booking seven
days or 14 days; they’re booking ve days or
ten days.”
The winter ski season continues to be
the airport’s busiest period, but it handles a
steady stream of traffic during the summer
too. During the ski season most of the
activity is concentrated on Saturdays
whereas during the summer the traffic is
more evenly spread throughout the week.
The airport handles between 3,500 and
4,500 people on an average weekday, while
on a ‘Winter Saturday’ the gure is nearly
30,000.
Karres explained: “If we look at
movements, we have 30 aircraft a day on
average during the week,” adding: “On a‘Winter Saturday’ we have around 100 to- Average seat capacity during the week
is around 100 seats; on a ‘Winter Saturday’
it’s around 180 to 200.”
To cope with the demand, Karres hires
100 additional ramp staff just to work one
day a week throughout the peak season.
“The good thing is it’s a Saturday, because
[we have] people who have normal jobs
working Monday to Friday and they just want
to earn extra money; maybe they want to
buy a new car or go on holiday. So it’s quite
easy to hire extra staff.
“Around 60 to 65% return from the
previous winter and the rest are new staff
you have to train. I have one member of
staff who is here for his 25th winter.”
The airport’s re ghters are not full-time
but also have jobs in the ramp services
team. Because of their need to respond
to incidents in seconds, they have to stay
within a certain distance of the re station
and use Smart cars to get there in an
emergency.
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 51An aerial view of Salzburg Airport. To the left of the runway is the terminal and general aviation
complex. The dome-shaped buildings on the other side of the air eld are The Flying Bulls’
Hangar-7 and Hangar-8. AirTeamImages.com/Simon WilsonBritish Airways Airbus A320-232 G-GATS awaits its passengers for the
return journey to London Gatwick Airport. All photos Key-James Ronayne
unless stated50-54_salzburg.JR.mfJR.indd 51 08/04/2016 11:19