Innsbruck Airport sets to the west of the city close to the motorway network and the banks of the River Inn. There are no mountains to the north or south of the airport, and the flight approach is made along the Inn Valley. Pilots must have a specialized qualification in order to land at Innsbruck Airport, which can lead to additional delays during the winter months when suitable pilots run out of flying time. Despite the mountains, winter flying conditions are often as good or better than conditions at its larger competitors. One of the advantages to Innsbruck Airport is its proximity to many of the ski resorts.

The Airport (Phone 0512/22525) is approximately two miles west of Innsbruck and serviced primarily by Austrian Airlines and Tyrolean, a subsidiary of Austrian Airlines. Neither American nor Canadian carriers fly directly to Innsbruck. The major US airlines such as American, Northwest and United fly into major European hubs such as Paris, Zurich, London, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt for passengers to make a transfer to another flight. Austrian Airlines is currently in a partnership with United Airlines. Within Austria, Austrian Airlines and Tyrolean offer service between Vienna and Innsbruck. During the winter, schedules are based on snow conditions. The flying time is eight hours from New York, eleven hours from Chicago, thirteen hours from Los Angeles and ninety minutes from London.

In order to reach one of the carriers going into Austria, here are the phone numbers to call:

Austrian Airlines: 020-7434-7300 from the U.K. Tyrolean: 01-7007-0 or 01-1789

Weekends can often be very busy in the winter months, and Innsbruck has a full schedule of both scheduled and charter flights. Many of these charters are flying to and from the United Kingdom.

Only last-minute purchases are allowed at the airport, and there is a duty-free section in the lounge in the departure area.

For passengers who are not driving, the airport is accessible by train and bus. Regular bus service is available from the airport to the main railway station in the centre of Innsbruck until late in the evening. The airport closes at night, so any flights that are delayed past a certain time of the evening will be diverted to the larger airports.

A busy hotel and many guesthouses and other hotels are within close proximity of the airport and on the route to Innsbruck.

Taxi service is available outside the arrivals lounge, and a list of pre-arranged prices to frequent destinations is displayed in the airport terminal building.

Car hire is available at the airport, and the rental desk of the major companies can be found in the covered parking that is opposite the terminals. During peak times, these are manned, but at other times, the services are available with a courtesy phone.

Remember, as well as offering car hire from Innsbruck Airport, Car Hire 3000 also offer car hire in Innsbruck town centre plus a number of other locations right across Austria

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