Reichenau Airport

The airport was closed and replaced due to its significant operational limitations. The primary reasons include: 1) **Unfavorable Location:** Situated in a basin of the Inn valley, the site was prone to persistent fog and difficult wind conditions (especially the Foehn wind), making landings and take-offs hazardous. 2) **Lack of Expansion Space:** The airfield was a simple grass field constrained by the Inn river, railway lines, and the growing city of Innsbruck. It was impossible to extend the runways to accommodate the larger, heavier aircraft that became standard after World War II. 3) **Planned Replacement:** Recognizing these limitations, authorities planned and constructed a new, modern airport in a more suitable location in the western district of Kranebitten. This new airport (the current Innsbruck Airport, LOWI) opened in 1948, leading to the immediate closure and decommissioning of the Reichenau site.

The site of the former Reichenau Airport has been completely redeveloped and is now an integral part of the Reichenau district of Innsbruck. There are no visible remnants of the airfield. The land is now used for a mix of urban purposes, including: extensive public sports facilities (Sportanlage Reichenau), residential apartment blocks, schools, and commercial properties. The area is a densely populated urban neighborhood, and its former use as an airport is now purely a matter of historical record.

Reichenau Airport was the first commercial airport for Innsbruck and the state of Tyrol, marking the region's entry into the age of aviation. It officially opened on June 1, 1925. The inaugural flight was a Junkers F 13 operated by Süddeutsche Aero Lloyd on the Munich-Innsbruck route. The airport quickly became a node in the early European air network, with airlines like ÖLAG (the Austrian precursor to Austrian Airlines), Deutsche Luft Hansa, and later Swissair operating routes to cities such as Vienna, Salzburg, Zurich, and Munich. Operations consisted of passenger, mail, and freight transport using early aircraft types. The infrastructure was basic, featuring a simple wooden building as a terminal and a grass landing strip. Despite its shortcomings, it was crucial for developing tourism and business in Tyrol and demonstrated the viability of air travel in the challenging Alpine environment, ultimately paving the way for its modern successor.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport. The site is fully and densely developed with residential, recreational, and commercial infrastructure. Re-establishing an airport at this location is physically impossible and has not been a topic of consideration since its closure in 1948. The city of Innsbruck is well-served by the modern Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), located a few kilometers to the west.