Pope Benedict XVI. is going to land on Vienna International Airport at about 11.15 on September 7. There He is going to be welcomed by the Austrian Bishops under the leadership of Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Edmond Farhat, and Federal President Heinz Fischer.
After the official welcoming addresses by Pope Benedict XVI. and Federal President Fischer, 150 children of the St. Francis elementary school at Erdberg, Vienna, are going to cordially welcome Pope Benedict XVI. with the song "We are greeting you, Pope Benedict!" Afterwards, Pope Benedict XVI. is going to transfer to the Vienna Inner City by car.
The Vienna International Airport is the biggest and most important airport in Austria. It is located 18 kilometers south east of the Vienna City Center in Schwechat. The Vienna International Airport is the home airport of the Austrian airline AUA. The airport was built in 1938 as a military airbase. In 1954, the operating company of Vienna International Airport was founded. In 1982, a motorway connection to the "Ostautobahn A4" was built.
Even before the fall of the iron curtain, the airport had acted as a connection to Eastern Europe. Since the EU eastern enlargement, the numbers of passengers and the amount of cargo have increased enormously. Thus, the airport has been modernized and extended for several years.
On the occasions of His visits to Austria in 1983, 1988, and 1998, Pope John Paul II. briefly visited the Vienna International Airport.
Source: "KATHPRESS"
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