Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

SALZBURG

Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Find out what's going on in Austria on Friday with The Local's short roundup of today's important news.

Published: 18 June 2021 09:08 CEST
Dachshund Archibald enjoys a drink in Seestadt, a suburb of Vienna in Austria during the heatwave (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)
Dachshund Archibald enjoys a drink in Seestadt, a suburb of Vienna in Austria during the heatwave (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

Warnings over Delta variant from Austria’s Covid-19 commission

Austria’s Coronavirus Traffic Light Commission is concerned about the spread of the delta variant and warns of a “systemic risk” in summer, broadcaster ORF reports. However the commission also stated on Thursday that the Covid-19 risk assessment for all of Austria and for all federal states was to be classified as low”.

The delta variant, or the virus mutation B.1.617.2, is not only more infectious than previous mutations, but also lead to more severe courses of the disease, especially in the non-vaccinated population.

Around 6.3 percent of cases in Austria involve the delta variant, which initially appeared on a large scale in India. The commission called for faster vaccination and more PCR testing.

READ MORE: What is Austria’s new five-colour Covid traffic light system?

Seven day incidence is 15.5

The 7 day incidence, or the number of new infections with the coronavirus in the past seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, is 15.5. No federal state has a value more than 30, Styria (7.3), Salzburg (8.8) and Burgenland (8.5) are below, Carinthia at 10.0. Vienna has the highest value with 29.2.

Further easing of coronavirus pandemic measures in July

As The Local reported on Thursday, further easing of coronavirus pandemic restrictions are set for July, though the 3G requirement (showing proof that you have been vaccinated, have tested negative or have recovered from the virus) will stay in place.

Bars and restaurants will no longer have to close at midnight, while capacity and space restrictions will be dropped in almost all industries.

Drinking at the bar and dancing will be allowed again and clubs can open up again to 75 percent capacity. In addition, the FFP2 mask rules for shops and restaurants will be relaxed. 

READ MORE: 

Million pound cycle path project for Salzburg

The city of Salzburg will create a major cycle path costing one million euros. It will stretch for one kilometer along the Innsbruck main road between the Maxglaner junction and the airport underpass. Construction is to start in 2022. 

Bonus for hospital and care staff

Austria’s National Council decided on Thursday on a bonus for employees in hospitals and care homes because of the coronavirus pandemic. It should average out at around 500 euros per person. The ruling coalition (ÖVP and Greens) said it meant the work of these people during the pandemic would be recognised, the opposition criticised a “wishy-washy motion” in which numerous employees had been forgotten. Cleaning staff will be included in the bonus scheme but not builders.

Individual states or institutions can decide what bonus is appropriate, for example in the case of a worker in intensive care or on a Covid-19 ward. 

Tyrol Governor wants to shoot local wolves

Austria’s Agricultural Councillor Josef Geisler (ÖVP) is hoping to follow Finland’s example and make it legal to shoot “problem wolves” in Tyrol. Wolves should be shot there if herd protection measures do not work, Geisler told the APA. This year, there has been one wolf and four bear attacks which have led to farm animals being killed in Tyrol.

Last year  there were 250 incidents in which sheep and goats were injured or disappeared due to large predators. Geisler said in nearby Italian Trentino, around 100 young wolves are born every year. 

READ MORE: Seven hazards to avoid when you’re outside in Austria

Compulsory vaccination for new hospital staff in Styria 

In Styria, new employees in hospitals must be vaccinated against Covid-19, following a meeting – this is the direction in which representatives of Med-Uni, hospitals and the state of Styria on Thursday afternoon. As The Local reported on Thursday, this is already the case in Vienna. 

READ MORE: Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory for all new health and social workers in Vienna

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TRANSPORT

What direct flights can I get from Austria’s regional airports?

Flying abroad from Austria doesn't always mean you have to go from the capital Vienna, because there are options from the country's regional airports including Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck.

Published: 19 December 2023 15:08 CET
Updated: 14 March 2024 10:32 CET
What direct flights can I get from Austria's regional airports?

If you’re flying intercontinental in particular, there’s often no other choice than for you to fly out from Vienna or to connect through an even larger European airport – but for those who don’t live in the capital, it’s still sometimes worth checking for the connections you can get out of some of Austria’s other airports.

Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz, and Klagenfurt all have at least a few direct flight connections.

READ ALSO: What direct intercontinental flights can I get from Vienna?

Flying out from the Alps – Salzburg

Out of the country’s non-Viennese options, Salzburg Airport by far offers the most destinations. Depending on what time of year and week you’re flying, you can access over 30 direct destinations from Salzburg.

Although many options are seasonal or only available a few times a week – or even just once a week, the UK is particularly well-connected with Salzburg flight-wise.

You can get a direct flight to a London airport every day, with both EasyJet and British Airways running direct daily flights to Gatwick Airport. Both airlines also offer connections to either Luton or Heathrow respectively, running a few times a week, while BA even operates a once-weekly flight from Salzburg to London City Airport. Ryanair also sells a direct service from Salzburg to London Stansted and WizzAir is slate to start up a three-times weekly service to Luton in early 2024.

From Salzburg to elsewhere in the UK, Jet2 offers once-weekly flights to Belfast, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, and Birmingham. Meanwhile, easyJet has either once or twice-weekly connections to Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol – while Ryanair flies twice a week to Manchester.

There are numerous connections directly into and out of Salzburg without having to go through Vienna or Munich first. Photo: Pixabay / Werdepate

For Ireland, Ryanair also sends passengers from Salzburg direct to Dublin three times a week. Northern European countries also have a few direct connections to Salzburg, with daily flights to Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Rotterdam and Amsterdam – and many less frequent services to destinations like Cologne, Brussels, and the Nordic and Baltic capitals.

Southern direct destinations include both Belgrade and Skopje. Sunseekers can also use Eurowings a few times a week to get direct from Salzburg to Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, the Canaries, Sardinia, Cyprus and even Greek destinations like Thessaloniki, Crete, Zakynthos, Corfu, Kos and Rhodes. The airline also has occasional service to Egyptian destinations. 

Those travelling intercontinentally even have a few options from Salzburg, notably through a daily Turkish Airlines flight bound for Istanbul, a weekly Arkia connection to Tel Aviv, and five-times weekly flights to Riyadh on Flynas or Dubai using Flydubai. 

Transatlantic travellers can even route themselves through Reykjavik on Icelandair direct from Salzburg twice a week.

Munich, Vienna, or Salzburg: Which is the best airport to fly from?

From Styria to the world through Graz

Austria’s second-largest city has nearly 20 direct flight connections.

Most of these are with destinations that are fairly close by – some easily reachable also by train – perhaps in order to connect Graz passengers with hubs able to take them to more far-flung destinations. These include daily flights to Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, and Amsterdam on Austrian, Lufthansa and KLM – as well as four or five-times weekly flights on Eurowings to Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Berlin – and a Swiss flight to Zurich. 

Travellers looking for sunnier climes also have a few options from Graz, although many only run once a week, such as Eurowings options to the Canary Islands, Corfu, Kos, Rhodes and Cyprus. There are, however, more frequent options on Eurowings to Hurghada in Egypt or Palma de Mallorca, as well as a SunExpress flight that travels direct to Antalya every day except for Wednesday.

READ ALSO: What are the new flights to and from Austrian airports in 2024?

Westward from Tyrol – Innsbruck

The Tyrolean capital has over 20 direct destinations by plane. The vast majority of these are in nearby northern European countries.

Similar to Salzburg, it has excellent connections to London – with EasyJet, BA, or Jet2 able to provide you with a way to a London airport – including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton – every day of the week.

Other UK destinations are less well-served. But there are EasyJet or Jet2 connections a few times a week to Bristol and Manchester, and weekly Jet2 flights to Edinburgh and Birmingham.

canary islands limit property purchases foreigners

Sunny destinations like Spain’s Canary Islands are well-served from all of Austria’s airports, not just Vienna. Photo: slavikfi/Pixabay

You can also connect to hubs like Frankfurt, Vienna, and Amsterdam daily, through Paris on Air France twice a week, and once a week, you can use a direct Icelandair flight to connect onto North America through Reykjavik.

Other major European cities are also within your reach anywhere from once a week to Athens, Stockholm and Helsinki, twice a week to Berlin and Brussels, and four times a week to Hamburg. 

Finally, Israir will send you to Tel Aviv once a week.

READ ALSO: What are your rights if your trip is delayed or cancelled in Austria?

The small offerings – Linz and Klagenfurt

With less than 10 direct destinations between the two of them, people living in or near the state capitals of Upper Austria and Carinthia may often just end up having to go further afield – but there are a few options.

A daily Austrian Airlines flight links Klagenfurt to Vienna, while people in the city can also use Ryanair to head to London Stansted five times a week. Less frequent options include two or three times weekly Ryanair flights to Palma de Mallorca and Alicante. Meanwhile, a once-weekly Austrian flight will take Klagenfurt passengers to Hamburg.

Linz meanwhile, has a few options for those needing either to connect to a hub or grab some sun – with daily flights to Frankfurt and twice-weekly flights to Palma de Mallorca.

READ ALSO: Do people really mistakenly fly to Austria instead of Australia?

SHOW COMMENTS