A serenade by the traditional Wals band? 27 gun salutes? And also a reception with an embassy envoy? When the airline flydubai landed for the first time, Salzburg Airport was really big – the people of Salzburg have great hopes for the new connection to Dubai. As do the Arabs. The “crown” looked around.
To be honest, that was to be expected. Thursday, 9.40pm, Salzburg Airport. Dark clouds move over the airport at dusk, and it’s not just the in-house fire brigade who is patiently waiting on the apron. It is as busy as it can be when the first plane from the low-cost airline flydubai rolls in – a whopping 50 minutes later than expected.
The pillory riflemen from Elsbethen and Langwied-Gnigl fired 27 gun salutes, and the Wals traditional costume band welcomed the 145 passengers after their six-hour journey with the Boeing 737-800 Max with the “march without rest”.
“Very nice,” says Nadja, a young lady from the Emirates who is delightedly pointing her cell phone at the band. She will spend the next nine days with her mother and sisters in Zell am See – and “relax”.
The crisis-ridden airport is hoping for passengers like them – the Emirates subsidiary will be flying to the airport four times a week from now on.
“This is awesome for us after the AUA connection to Vienna is no longer available,” said Christopher Losmann from Salzburg Airport.
Arab tourists, who otherwise arrive via Vienna and Munich, are not only expected for a long time. The airport also relies on business travelers and those who love to travel – it is possible to change trains in Dubai, and flights to the Maldives are particularly popular from Salzburg.
Dubai-Salzburg (tickets are available from 199 euros) is not the only new route: From next week, there will also be flights to Barcelona in Spain and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.