Aspern Airfield

The primary reason for closure was redundancy and urban planning. Vienna International Airport in Schwechat (VIE/LOWW) had been developed and expanded to become the sole, modern international hub for the city. Aspern Airfield, being closer to the city center and surrounded by expanding suburbs, was not suitable for the larger, louder jet aircraft of the era. The vast, flat land it occupied became extremely valuable for large-scale urban development.

The site of the former airfield has been completely transformed into 'Seestadt Aspern' (Aspern Lake City), one of Europe's largest and most ambitious urban development projects. It is a modern, mixed-use 'smart city' district with residential apartments, offices, research facilities, shops, parks, and a large, central man-made lake. The original runways, hangars, and terminal buildings have been demolished. The only remaining legacy is in the area's layout and some street names within Seestadt Aspern, which are named after famous aviators to commemorate the site's history.

Aspern Airfield holds a major place in Austrian aviation history. Opened on June 23, 1912, it was one of the earliest airfields in Europe and served as Austria's first international airport. In the interwar period, it was the main aviation hub for Vienna, handling both pioneering civilian passenger flights and military operations. It hosted major international flight meetings and was a stop for famous airships, including the Graf Zeppelin. During World War II, it was taken over and used by the German Luftwaffe and was subsequently heavily bombed. After the war, it was located in the Soviet occupation zone and, while rebuilt, never regained its former importance as Vienna-Schwechat became the primary airport. In its final decades, from the 1950s to 1977, it primarily served general aviation, gliding, and other forms of sport flying.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been irrevocably and completely redeveloped into a high-density urban district. The construction of thousands of buildings, roads, public transit lines (including a subway extension), and a large lake makes any future aviation use physically impossible.