Vienna International has become the latest airport to consider environmental factors in its charging structure.

In its 2010 charges document, the Airport has published details of the new noise charge to come into force later this year. The charge will be progressively introduced, with 50% of the charge levied from July 1st 2010, moving to the full noise charge from July 1st 2011. Publication now will enable airlines to assess the costs of the in advance of its introduction.

The charge itself is quite complex, involving a target noise value, a noise quality factor and a compensation value, as well as specific aircraft noise values and ICAO limits. Subscribers to airportcharges.com can download the document to view the formulae used, and the charge will be incorporated into the benchmarking feature from 12th January.

To compensate for the introduction of the new noise charge, landing charges at Vienna have been reduced. The landing charge for aircraft with MTOWs up to 45 tonnes is 22% lower than in 2009, with a gradual reduction in the saving as MTOW increases until, for a typical B747-400, the 2010 charges are about the same as they were in 2009.