Eurofighter on the ground

All of Austria’s airspace unprotected for days

The hangar remained closed over the weekend: since midday on Friday, there has been no operational readiness throughout Austria, as a line from air traffic control shows (above).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Jauschowetz)

Breaking a taboo in the Austrian Armed Forces: since Friday afternoon, anyone can theoretically do whatever they want in the skies over Austria. The Eurofighter fleet has not been operational for days. Although the planes are intact. 

On Friday, the "Krone" newspaper stumbled across five short, garbled lines that reveal profound problems in Austria's military national defense: The NOTAMs, the daily updated, public flight information for all pilots worldwide, currently state that there have been no military flight operations in Zeltweg since midday on Friday.

This means that no Eurofighter alert take-offs are possible at the country's only jet base. These should actually be on standby every day of the year in order to be able to take off within minutes in the event of unknown aircraft in the airspace or a loss of communication. Missions of this kind occur around 50 times a year

Unidentified aircraft cannot be identified
This weekend, for the first time in more than 50 years, not a single Eurofighter was on standby for several days. Normal operations are due to resume on Monday. If an unknown aircraft enters our airspace before then, it can circle unhindered over Austria. After all, the flight-free period at the weekend was used until midday on Saturday to carry out maintenance work on the runway's cable interception system.

Remained unmanned at the weekend: the massively understaffed tower in Zeltweg

(Bild: Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool)

But there are likely to be more weekends to come when airspace surveillance is suspended: An unofficial inquiry to the responsible authorities revealed that things are likely to get tight again around Christmas time. There would be enough aircraft and pilots available in Zeltweg. But there are no longer enough employees in the flight operations services - especially air traffic controllers and firefighters - to keep the military airfield operational on a daily basis. Retirements and other departures have contributed to an increasing amount of overtime, it is said. The problem was known, but had been delayed for years.

Particularly explosive: according to "Krone" information, the Eurofighters intended for emergency take-offs had already been shut down on a daily basis in the past in order to save up overtime for major events such as "Airpower". In an emergency, no jet would have taken off.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

No trace of "round-the-clock" monitoring 
This differs greatly from the current build-up plans of the Ministry of Defense. With 17 billion euros more in the budget, new jet trainers were to be purchased for the Linz-Hörsching site in order to relieve the Eurofighter. And to increase active airspace surveillance to 24-hour operation, seven days a week. So far, none of this has happened. The purchase of the new jets has been failing for almost a year due to internal review processes in the ministry, and the "round-the-clock" surveillance has become part-time air policing.

Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Chief of Staff Rudolf Striedinger

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Defense Minister reacts to "Krone" report
Shortly after the conditions in Zeltweg became known, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner responded: "When I learned about this today, I immediately instructed the General Staff to find alternative solutions and implement them without delay to prevent such a situation from occurring again."

Rudolf Striedinger is the head of the General Staff, i.e. the country's top military officer. He takes Werner Kogler's Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS), which is responsible for pay, to task: "The Ministry of Defense has been working for years to find a solution to the problem of too few air traffic controllers. There have been countless discussions with the BMKÖS, but it has not recognized the scope of the problem or has not wanted to recognize it," Striedinger told "Krone". "With its air traffic controllers, the BMLV is in direct competition with civil aviation. The BMLV will continue to take all measures to make the profession of air traffic controller attractive. However, the cooperation of the BMKÖS is absolutely essential for this", the General alludes to the different salary levels between civilian and military air traffic controllers with a similar range of tasks.

Experts agree that the original trigger for the overstretching of the Zeltweg site was the decision to turn away from Linz-Hörsching as a second jet base. When the Saab 105 fleet stationed there was mothballed almost five years ago, the entire burden of active airspace surveillance was transferred to Zeltweg. With a decreasing number of personnel.

The acute personnel shortage in Zeltweg is also reflected in the flagship pilot "Beauty".

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

Celebrity pilot no longer in the Eurofighter cockpit
The glaring personnel shortage is also reflected in a well-hidden flaw that the air force is struggling with: the prominent Eurofighter pilot and social media star Patrick "Beauty" Wöss (see picture above), who only three weeks ago gave interviews on ORF as a testimonial for the fighter jet fleet, is no longer a Eurofighter pilot. He has been flying cargo for a German airline since the summer.