S-Bahn closures: How do I still get to Vienna Airport?

Long-distance trains, the S7 and airport buses continue to connect Vienna's city centre with the airport. However, longer journey times and crowded public transport should be expected

18. August 2026
4 min read

Vienna

S-Bahn closures: How do I still get to Vienna Airport?

Long-distance trains, the S7 and airport buses continue to connect Vienna's city centre with the airport. However, longer journey times and crowded public transport should be expected

Nicolas Dworak

Brow furrowed, a public transport map covered in markings in hand. The S-Bahn station Wien Mitte-Landstraße is crossed out and circled at the same time, while the man wanders back and forth between the entrances to the two metro lines U3, U4 and the Vienna S-Bahn. With a questioning look, he searches for someone who knows their way around: How do I get to Vienna Airport?

Actually, the tourist is in exactly the right spot. Normally, Wien Mitte-Landstraße or Wien Rennweg are the ideal places to head to reach Vienna-Schwechat Airport. But these days everything is a bit more complicated.

Because of a 20-kilometre cable fire, the main closure on Vienna's core line was moved forward by several weeks. As a result, several extensive closures across the greater Vienna area now coincide. Between Wien Hauptbahnhof (Wien Hbf) and Wien Floridsdorf, no trains will run up to and including 6 September 2026. The section between Wien Hbf and Praterstern will even remain completely closed until October 2027.

1. Long-distance trains and the S7

It's also still possible to travel by rail via long-distance train. The fast RJX, RJ, IC and REX7 services run via Wien Hauptbahnhof to the airport. The journey via the south of Vienna takes 15 minutes. Valid CAT tickets are accepted from Wien Hbf. A single journey as a standard ÖBB ticket costs 5.30 euros without seat reservation.

An ÖBB Railjet train, photographed at Vienna Hauptbahnhof. The words — ÖBB long-distance trains continue to run to Vienna Airport via the section south of the core line.

The airport express S7 runs to Vienna Airport from Wien Geiselbergstraße station. The journey takes 15 minutes. CAT and ÖBB tickets are valid here too. However, the station can only be reached by bus (e.g. the 69A from Wien Hbf) or tram (e.g. tram 11 from Wien Reumannplatz). Overall, this means significantly more travel time needs to be factored in than before.

From 7 September, the S7 will also once again run to the airport via St. Marx (also only reachable by tram).

2. CAT buses

A green and black Setra coach bearing the words — The CAT buses run to the airport every twelve minutes between 7am and 7pm. Outside these hours, they run every 15 minutes.

Instead of the City Airport Train (CAT), which normally serves as the direct link, replacement buses are now running between Wien Mitte and Vienna Airport. The buses, labelled "Bus CAT", depart from Wien Marxergasse 1b.

This extends the journey time from 16 to just over 20 minutes. Buses run every twelve minutes starting 24 August. Classic CAT tickets remain valid. The cost: in principle 14.90 euros per direction, though the company is currently offering a 20 percent discount on online tickets.

The flight check-in service usually offered by CAT has been suspended for the coming months. Boarding passes can now only be printed at the airport or in the CAT foyer.

3. Airport buses

Map of the Vienna Airport Bus network showing three routes (VAB 1, VAB 2, VAB 3) connecting central points in Vienna such as Westbahnhof, Hauptbahnhof, Schwedenplatz, Messe Wien and UNO-City. The destination is Vienna Airport. The respective stops and route colours are clearly displayed. — The VA buses operated by Postbus, an ÖBB subsidiary, connect Vienna's city centre to the airport via three routes. From September, an additional bus service will be set up from Praterstern.

The Vienna Airport Bus (VAB) from Wien Westbahnhof (U3/U6), Schwedenplatz (U1/U4) and Donauzentrum (U1) continues to run every half hour. From 5 September, there will be an additional connection between Praterstern (U1/U2) and the airport.

A single ticket costs eleven euros and can be paid for in cash with the bus drivers, by card at ticket machines at Westbahnhof, or purchased online. CAT tickets are also accepted.

Closures in and around Vienna

There's also a standstill on the tracks north of Vienna. The connections from Jedlersdorf/Korneuburg (Nordwestbahn), Gerasdorf/Wolkersdorf (Laaer Ostbahn) and Süßenbrunn to Wien Praterstern (Nordbahn) are likewise suspended until 6 September 2026. Replacement buses are running on the respective routes. More time than usual should be allowed for this.

At the same time, the S80 between Hütteldorf in the west of Vienna and Wien Hbf will also be out of service until early September. Following this, the S80 section between Hütteldorf and Meidling will be closed until the end of 2027. Replacement buses are running, currently every half hour, increasing to every 15 minutes from September.

The main closure of the core line between Wien Hbf/Wien St. Marx and Praterstern will also last a long time – until October 2027.

At least there's this: the frequency of the U-Bahn lines will be increased – though not until 7 September. For now, crowded public transport should be expected. (Nicolas Dworak, 18.8.2026)

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