There is a change in the top management of VIP and general aviation services at Vienna Airport. Effective April 1, 2020, Christoph Schmidt will serve as a managing director of Vienna Aircraft Handling (VAH), a fully owned subsidiary of the Vienna Airport operating company Flughafen Wien, together with Michael Zach. Schmidt has longstanding management experience and has made a name for himself, especially in the energy sector. Schmidt succeeds the previous managing director Joubin Pour, who will take on new professional challenges following eight years at Flughafen Wien AG.

“Christoph Schmidt brings many years of extensive management and marketing experience to the company, thus enriching the team at Vienna Aircraft Handling. In particular, the market for general aviation and VIP services encompasses many business areas, and our subsidiary Vienna Aircraft Handling GmbH offers optimal total solutions in this field, from hangar space for aircraft and ground handling to VIP services and conferencing. Our management duo of Christoph Schmidt and Michael Zach will provide fresh impetus here,” explain Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner, the two members of the management board of Flughafen Wien.

“Our customers expect the highest standards of professionalism and service quality when it comes to general aviation and VIP services. I look forward to collaborating with Christoph Schmidt to further develop our solutions and products for our customers,” says Michael Zach, who has been managing director of Vienna Aircraft Handling since 2016.

“I very much look forward to this responsible task, which I am honoured to take on during this particularly exciting and challenging time. A committed and professional team awaits me, and together we will continue to succeed in offering the highest quality VIP and general aviation services for the benefit of our customers and guests,“ emphasises Christoph Schmidt, who has been serving as the new managing director of Vienna Aircraft Handling GmbH since April 1, 2020 alongside Michael Zach.

Christoph Schmidt studied business administration and business law in Vienna, at the St. Galler Business School in Switzerland as well as at the renowned Harvard Business University in the USA. During his studies he began work as an assistant to the executive board of Energie Burgenland. Shortly afterwards, he was promoted to the position of commercial director of Energie Burgenland Green Power before he built up the operations of the energy supplier Switch as its sole managing director. Two years later he accepted a position in the Austrian Federal Chancellery as the deputy head of cabinet for the former federal minister for the EU, arts, culture and media. In addition, Christoph Schmidt has been a member of the supervisory board of Wiener Zeitung since 2018.

VAH operates the VIP terminal and general aviation centre and has been a fixed-base operator at Vienna Airport for more than 20 years. The general aviation centre at Vienna Airport stands out thanks to its direct proximity to Vienna (30 minutes driving from and to the city centre), its 24/7 operations and outstanding infrastructure. The offering ranges from passenger lounges, dedicated crew rest areas, a restaurant and sufficient parking facilities directly next to the terminal building to individual, tailor-made service solutions. The VIP services are available in an exclusive atmosphere to provide first-class support and care before departure or after arrival to all passengers of scheduled flights, regardless of their particular airline or booking class.