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The show of the federal army, Red Bull and the state of Styria started on Friday in the Upper Styrian Zeltweg with a flag jump and a “Skytext” as well as a thundering Eurofighter overflight. 200 aircraft are deployed. A comprehensive regional environmental concept with shorter transport routes, climate-friendly arrival and a lot of regionality should compensate for the amount of CO2 emitted. However, the experts surveyed rated the measures taken as largely inadequate.
Around 300,000 fans are expected to attend the free event on September 2nd and 3rd. The 200 aircraft, around 50 of which are from the army, come from 20 nations, which together with several aerobatic teams will take care of the program on the ground and in the air. To what extent a climate-friendly air show can be realized can probably only be judged afterwards and depends, among other things, on the arrival behavior of the visitors. This year more trains and buses will be provided and the number of parking spaces has been halved from 36,000 to 18,000.
A PC-6 Turbo Porter, the Flying Bulls, made the start on Friday morning, writing “Welcome to Airpower22” in the sky using artificial smoke, but this was only legible for a few seconds at this altitude. Then followed a crashing overflight of a Eurofighter of the German Army, which made a so-called traffic pattern. During a flag jump, parachutists with Styrian and Austrian flags glided to the ground.
For the first time regionality in catering
With the catering and the infrastructure, attention was paid to 100% regionality from the Murtal, Leoben and Murau districts for the first time, as the head of the air power-Project Offices, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Hendel stressed. For example, the beer now comes from the nearby Murau private brewery. The Thalheimer beer from the municipality of Pöls-Oberkurzheim to the west of Zeltweg will also be served at a stand. It is also important where the products come from, which is why contractual criteria between air power-Event organizers and caterers have been closed. The focus is almost exclusively on regional or national cuisine. The basic ingredients are all of regional origin: “We don’t want salmon from the North Sea and no exclusive dishes,” Hendel told APA. In the past air power-years, care was only taken to ensure that the catering came from Austria.
Overflight of US bombers as a highlight
The show program lasts from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is almost identical on both days. A highlight is said to be the overflight of two US B-52 “Stratofortress” bombers – although it is not yet clear when the Americans will “stop by”. There will also be a performance show by the aviation industry and research institutions, with a focus on alternative fuels and propulsion systems. In contrast to the last air show in 2019, the high level of politics – at that time the climate debate was probably decisive – this time can definitely be seen in Aichfeld. On Friday late afternoon, the new Styrian LH Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) will come to a reception, on Sunday around 11 a.m. the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and campaigning Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will stop by. Around 6,000 soldiers are used by the army.
Climate expert: “missed opportunity”
Environmental experts assess the major event differently. Franz Prettenthaler, Institute Director for Climate, Energy and Society at Joanneum Research, explained that it is important that each air power have to emit 14 percent less so that Austria can achieve climate neutrality by 2040. He also pointed out that regionality does not automatically mean climate neutrality. He considers the measures to be an important step, but it is “not done yet”. Overall, however, he has the impression that the goal of climate neutrality is being seriously pursued here. The economist Oliver Fritz from the Austrian Institute for Economic Research also evaluates the measures taken in the area of the arrival and departure of visitors as positive and emphasized that one can at least see that environmental considerations are an issue here. Gottfried Kirchengast from the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change is much more critical of the implementation of the air power. He regards the major event as a “missed opportunity” that will send a clear signal in 2022 that climate protection will not be taken seriously. With a visitor limit from 100,000 to 50,000 visitors per day, as is usual with concerts or similar events, emissions could have been massively reduced, according to Kirchengast in an interview with the APA. He also calls for more responsibility from politicians at such an event, which is co-financed by the state and federal government.
Regionality, incentives for public transport
This time there are also stricter requirements for stand operators: Compostable material such as wood or bamboo must be used. In previous times, the use of more sustainable materials was based on a voluntary basis. In addition, the aspect of regionality was also taken into account when selecting the operators: According to this, six of 14 sales stands, 31 of 34 beverage stands, 19 of 20 food stands and 15 of 18 merchandising stands come from Styria. The operators also expect less plastic waste due to the planned measures. With a cup deposit of two euros, an incentive system was created not to throw the cups, which can be used up to 500 times, in the garbage but to bring them back. In addition, a team from the can recycling initiative “Every dose counts” will be present and explain recycling to visitors. In addition, a compact number of waste containers was used for waste disposal, so that visitors have to cover a distance of no more than 50 meters. In addition, an environmental company made up of soldiers is deployed, which walks around the event site, which is divided into nine sectors, and collects waste.
The organizers also created incentives for those arriving by public transport: together with ÖBB, special trains from Villach, Salzburg, Linz and Vienna were set up. Visitors can also use the short sprinter and shuttle trains from Kraubath and Knittelfeld. Thanks to a bus alliance that has been developed, it is also possible to travel by bus from all over Austria. Regional transport capacities have been increased. At the same time, arriving by car is to be made unattractive by pre-booking a 20-euro parking ticket, which is subject to a fee. As far as the flights of the foreign participants are concerned, these are included in the allotment of their practice hours and, according to Hendel, would not cause any additional emissions. The project office manager also explained that biofuels will definitely be an issue in the future, but that they are not yet ready for the market.
Source: Nachrichten
