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obody would ever think of
going to Ben-Gurion Air-
port for a date. The Israeli
airport is a place to pass
through as quickly as possible.
But it doesn't have to be that
way. Vienna International Air-
port, for example, has been trans-
formed into what its president,
Frank Kotrba, calls an "airport
city, with a different
ambiance from that of
any airport in Eu-
rope."
Mr. Kotrba was one
of the top Vienna Air-
port executives in a
delegation of eight
who visited Israel ear-
lier this month to talk
tourism, trade and re-
lated business.
His airport is one of ii
the few in the world
that has been priva-
tized.
Mr. Kotrba talked
with the heads of El Al
and Arkia, as well as
Tourism Minister Uzi
Baram and Transport
Minister Yisrael
Kessar, about improv-
ing air traffic between
the two countries. At
present, he said, El Al has three
or four flights a week to Vienna
and Austrian Airlines has five
flights.
"My aim is that each should
have a daily flight," he said.
By using Vienna Airport, he
said, El Al could complete its ex-
pansion into Eastern Europe by
working with Austrian Airlines,
which has the most extensive net-
work of flights to Eastern Europe
in the world.
On days when El Al does not
have a direct flight to Minsk, Mr.
Kotrba said, it could coordinate
its flight to Vienna with that of
an Austrian Airlines flight to the
capital of Byelorussia.
Austrian Airlines' expansion
into Eastern Europe began in
1989. At the time, Vienna Airport
had some 3.5 million passengers
a year. Last year, about 11 mil-
lion passengers passed through.
The airport was privatized in
1992. Like other airports, Vien-
na Airport still charges an airport
tax, Mr. Kotrba admitted, but
now the management is far more
concerned with giving passengers
value for their money.
At the Vienna Airport World
Trade Center (WTC), there are
13 restaurants and bars which
have a large clientele of locals as

well as passengers. There are
over 50 shops, also for the gener-
al public as well as travelers.
This year the first airport de-
partment store, a branch of Lon-
don's Harrod's, is due to open at
the WTC, again for the general
public. The WTC will begin work
on its second hotel shortly.
"Airports can be good busi-

ness," said Mr. Kotrba, who be-
lieves when the taxpayer pays to
maintain an airport, manage-
ment is less responsive to cus-
tomers' demands. London and
Copenhagen have privatized air-
ports, and other countries in Eu-
rope and Latin America are
considering the idea.
Commenting on airport priva-
tization, Hugo Marom, an inter-
nationally recognized Israeli
airport planner and architect,
said the advantages are signifi-
cant. But, in his view, it is up to
the state to underwrite the in-

"Airports can be
good business."

— Frank Kotrba

frastructure for takeoffs and land-
ings and safety provisions.
When a government body runs
an airport, Mr. Marom said, there
is a tendency to fry to profit from
concessionaires in order to repay
basic development investment.
With privatization, he said, there
are two businesses talking to each
other.
Mr. Marom said the Israel Air-
ports Authority tends to use the

income generated by Ben-Guri-
on Airport to maintain the less
profitable airports in the country,
thus preventing the natural de-
velopment of business at Ben-Gu-
non.
Airports Authority spokesman
Yehiel Amitai said the Austrian
group spoke with Airports Au-
thority director-general Motti
Debi, but the Au-
thority saw no need
for privatization.
The Airports Au-
thority takes no
money from the gov-
ernment, and even
plans to finance the
proposed major ex-
pansion of Ben-Gu-
rion through
international loans,
he said.
The Austrians
were interested in
the contract for the
new terminal, Mr.
Amitai said, but Mr.
Debi made it clear
to them that the
contract will be
awarded through
an open interna-
tional tender.
The president of
the Vienna Airport WTC, prop-
erty-developer and lawyer Georg
Katcz, also is president of the Is-
rael-Austria Chamber of Com-
merce (and a prominent
contributor to Tel Aviv Universi-
ty). He organized the delegation's
visit.
Another participant was Ger-
hard Randa, deputy chairman of
Bank Austria, the largest bank
in the country and one which Mr.
Randa compared to Bank
Hapoalim with its many sub-
sidiaries engaged in a wide range
of activities.
Mr. Randa said the group was
very optimistic about new oppor-
tunities for business ventures as
a result of the peace process.
The end of the Cold War
opened new markets and Austria
has become a gateway to Eastern
Europe.
Today, Mr. Randa said, the
Austrians are interested in work-
ing together with Israelis in de-
veloping markets in countries
such as the Czech Republic, Slo-
vakia, Hungary, Poland and
Slovenia.
The Austrians are also inter-
ested in using Israeli know-how,
especially that of such groups as
Bank Hapoalim, Clal and Koor,
in the Middle East. ❑

