Austria’s western skies will be noticeably quieter—and then suddenly much louder—over the next two weeks. The German Bundeswehr confirmed that its mountain infantry brigade will conduct the multinational exercise “Mountain Hornet” from 15 to 24 July in the Reiter Alpe area that straddles the Salzburg–Bavaria frontier. To protect both civil aviation and the numerous fast-moving military assets involved, the Austrian and German aviation authorities have issued a NOTAM that closes portions of uncontrolled airspace on both sides of the border. Drones, paragliders and general-aviation pilots have been told to remain clear; commercial routes that normally track the valley between Lofer and Ruhpolding have been rerouted several miles north. Although the closure does not directly affect traffic to Salzburg Airport (SZG), business-jet operators who routinely use the smaller grass strips in the Salzkammergut and Berchtesgaden regions will have to file alternate flight plans or request special VFR corridors. Freight forwarders that rely on time-critical helicopter shuttles for pharmaceutical and semiconductor components have also been advised to build in extra buffer time. The temporary restrictions come at the height of Austria’s Feriensaison, when recreational flying and adventure tourism peak. Local tourism boards fear that paragliding schools—already hit by higher insurance premiums—could see cancellations running into five figures. Insurance specialists at Aon Austria warn that any operator entering the restricted zone without authorisation risks voiding hull-coverage clauses. Corporate travel managers whose executives plan site visits in western Austria or southern Germany during the next fortnight should: 1) check whether charter providers have updated routings, 2) brief employees about possible helicopter noise and road closures, and 3) monitor Eurocontrol’s Network Manager for short-notice extensions of the NOTAM should bad weather force exercise rescheduling. Experience from previous drills shows that even small overruns can have knock-on effects on German ATC slots into Munich and Innsbruck, so tight connection windows should be avoided.
Source: Heute.at
