Promberger: “Top training value achieved!”

“AIRPOWER22 is, after all, not exclusively an Austrian Air Force event. Almost all Austrian Armed Forces services and the central headquarters were involved. With their profound preparation and implementation, all land and air units created the conditions for an unprecedented large-scale event, namely Europe’s largest air show, which welcomed 275,000 visitors over both event days. Just one quick comparison: Together, we are creating the logistical basis for the quantitative influx of the population of the whole of Salzburg into a town of just under 7,000 inhabitants – and this also has to consider important sub-areas such as sanitation, catering, waste management, and even medical supplies. AIRPOWER22 represents top training value for the deployed ready-reserve, the medical services, and the logistics of the Austrian Armed Forces,” says Airchief Brigadier-General Gerfried Promberger, Commander of the Austrian Air Force.

Europe’s largest air show has been planned impeccably for over a year. Over 6,500 staff were deployed at this year’s air show, including 4,500 soldiers. Among the 4,500 servicemen and women, the ready-reserve accounted for 1,356 and women for 658. Three hundred fifty-two people were employed in the ambulance service. Two hundred fifteen containers were set up for storage, offices, and kitchens. One thousand five hundred folding beds were erected for the soldiers. Five kitchens provided catering and cooked 7.5 tons of meat, 0.5 tons of fish, and provided 3.6 tons of salad, 4 tons of fruit, and about 45,000 litres of mineral water. Twenty kilometres of barriers secured the site and directed the flow of visitors.