Vienna Airport bids on budget carriers and their expansion into Eastern European countries to provide for long-term growth, Reuters informs.

Austrian airport operator that competes with Munich, Zurich and Frankfurt will make additional efforts to benefit from its proximity to Eastern Europe after Air Berlin bankruptcy. Air Berlin’s Austrian subsidiary Niki accounted for 15% of Vienne Airport traffic.

To attract new airline, the group introduced incentives system that was well accepted by low-cost carriers. Motivation includes airport charges discounts spread over three to five years and offered for certain volumes and new directions. It will certainly influence revenue per passenger but will provide for stable growth in the long run.

Airport operator forecasts profit increase by 16,5% to 148 million euro in 2018.

Budget airlines that started using or expanded services in Vienna include EasyJet, Eurowings (Lufthansa), Wizz Air and Vueling.

Economic growth in Eastern Europe directly influences passenger traffic in Vienna Airport, management thinks. Increasing number of passengers will be coming from Asia. There are also more wealthy European pensioners travelling. The group forecasts passengers growth by 6% this year compared with 4,5% last year.