AIRPOWER in Zeltweg: Austria’s big airshow for spotters

A weekend in the Murtal valley, fighter jets from half of Europe, a World War II bomber in a low pass over the runway and all of it without admission: AIRPOWER in Zeltweg is, for many spotters from Austria, southern Germany and the neighboring countries, the airshow highlight par excellence. It does not take place every year, though, and with hundreds of thousands of visitors the day quickly turns into a test of patience without good planning. Here you learn where the show comes from, who flies there, what is announced for 2027 and how to get good pictures on site.

AIRPOWER in brief

AIRPOWER is the big flight show of the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer), organized together with the State of Styria and Red Bull. The venue is Hinterstoisser Air Base near Zeltweg in Upper Styria. The show runs for two days, admission was free at the latest editions, and visitor numbers are regularly in the range of a quarter of a million. According to the organizers, the three partners split the costs by a third each; for 2024 the ORF (Austrian public broadcaster) cited a sum of €4.2 million.

From air day premiere to major event

The first event ran on June 20 and 21, 1997, still under the name Internationaler Flugtag (International Air Day). Since 2000 it has been called AIRPOWER. In the 2000s the show grew quickly: In 2003 six well-known aerobatic teams performed together, including the Frecce Tricolori, the Patrouille de France, the Patrouille Suisse and the Red Arrows. In 2005 the Austrian air force celebrated its 50th anniversary; the Saab 35 Draken, then still the Bundesheer’s interceptor, flew its last formation at that edition.

In 2007 there was no show because the air base was being converted for the arrival of the Eurofighter. After that it continued at a two- to three-year rhythm, with one gap: The edition planned for 2015 was dropped for budget reasons. The 2019 edition suffered from cool, rainy weather, and a few program items were canceled.

Year	Date	Highlight
2003	June	six aerobatic teams in the air together
2005	June	50 years of the air force, last formation flight of the Draken
2007	–	canceled because of the conversion for the Eurofighter
2009 / 2011 / 2013	June/July	visitor numbers grow to an estimated up to 300,000
2015	–	canceled for budget reasons
2016	September	move to late summer
2019	September	rainy weather, parts of the program canceled
2022	September	return after a three-year break
2024	September 6–7	eleventh edition, motto “Flying. Freedom. Enthusiasm.”

The table shows a selection, not a complete chronicle. Important for your planning: Since 2016, AIRPOWER has been in September, no longer in early summer.

What is announced for 2027

On September 17, 2025, the Bundesheer, Red Bull and the State of Styria announced that the next AIRPOWER takes place in 2027 – it would be the twelfth edition. 2026 had also been under discussion. According to a report by ORF Steiermark, the deciding factors were a cost evaluation in the course of budget consolidation at the Bundesheer and a necessary runway renovation at the air base. A specific date had not yet been set at the time of the announcement.

As of October 2026, therefore: Take 2027 as the frame, but do not book accommodation and vacation until the organizers confirm the date on the official site airpower.gv.at. Participant lists, from experience, appear only in the weeks before the show and change until the last minute.

Hinterstoisser Air Base

The airfield carries the ICAO code LOXZ, lies at around 677 meters elevation about one kilometer north of Zeltweg and is the largest military airfield of the Bundesheer. Since 1967 it has been named after the Austrian aviation pioneer Franz Hinterstoisser. It opened in 1937, before Austria’s annexation. Between 2003 and 2007 it was comprehensively converted for the Eurofighter Typhoon, which has its home base here.

For spotters, the runway layout is especially interesting. The paved main runway 08R/26L measures around 2,750 by 60 meters and lies in an east–west direction, with grass runways alongside. How to derive the direction of light from the runway number is explained in the guide Planning the sun position. With an east–west runway, the well-known rule of thumb applies: If you shoot toward the north, you have the sun behind you during the day; if you look south, you fight backlight at midday. Which side the spectator areas are on at the next edition is shown by the official site plan – study it closely beforehand.

On the grounds there is also a branch of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum (Museum of Military History) with historic military aircraft from the Yak-18 to the Draken. Whether and when it is accessible during the show is decided by the organizer.

Who flies at AIRPOWER

The program is different every time but follows a recognizable pattern. The participant list of the 2024 edition shows well what you can expect.

The Bundesheer itself

The Austrian air force uses the show as a capability showcase – according to official figures, around 50 Bundesheer aircraft took part in 2024. Besides the Eurofighters, which performed a two-ship dogfight in 2024, the C-130 Hercules, the Pilatus PC-6 Porter and the trainer Pilatus PC-7 are part of the familiar picture. Among the helicopters in 2024, the Black Hawk, the new Leonardo AW169, the AB-212 and the OH-58 Kiowa were on the list.

Exciting for 2027: The Bundesheer is modernizing its fleet. Among other things, the transport Embraer C-390, the jet trainer Leonardo M-346 and more Black Hawks are being procured. According to current planning, deliveries of the new types are mostly not scheduled until 2028, so little of them will probably be seen in Austrian colors at the next show. A C-390 from Brazil was already in the static show in 2024, though.

Guests from around 20 nations

According to the participant list, the following were among those present in 2024:

• Fighter jets: Eurofighters from Germany and Italy, F-16s from Belgium, Greece and Turkey, F/A-18 Hornets from Switzerland and Finland, Gripens from the Czech Republic and Hungary, and an F-35 from the US.
• Transports: A400M from Belgium and Germany, C-27J Spartan from Italy.
• Helicopters: NH90 and Tiger from Germany, plus an AW101 Merlin from Britain on the ground.
• Aerobatics: the Patrulla Águila from Spain, the Patrouille Suisse, the Croatian “Wings of Storm” and the Greek F-16 demo team “Zeus”.

An overview of the teams that regularly show up at European shows is under Aerobatic teams of Europe. How to tell the jets apart in the sky is explained in Recognizing fighter jets in Europe; for the big transports, Recognizing military transports helps.

The Flying Bulls and the warbirds

What sets AIRPOWER apart from many purely military shows is the strong appearance of the Flying Bulls. Red Bull’s fleet of historic aircraft is based in Salzburg and in 2024 brought, among others, the B-25 Mitchell, the P-38 Lightning, the F4U Corsair, the P-51 Mustang, the T-28 Trojan and the Douglas DC-6 to Zeltweg. Add the Bo 105, which according to the organizers is among the world’s only civil helicopters certified for aerobatics, and an AH-1 Cobra. From Germany came a replica of the Me 262 in 2024.

For photographers these aircraft are a gift: They fly slower than jets, often show themselves in wide arcs in front of the audience and shine in polished or historic liveries. If you want to practice during the rest of the year, you will find the right shutter speeds in the article Photographing propellers.

Getting there and the flow on site

With hundreds of thousands of visitors over two days, logistics is the biggest topic at AIRPOWER. For each edition the organizers provide a site plan with parking areas and arrival and departure routes; details on train, shuttles and parking change from edition to edition. In earlier years, parking fees were charged for cars.

If you travel by plane, it is best to plan with Graz. Graz Airport is the nearest larger commercial airport; alternatives are Salzburg, Klagenfurt or Vienna, each with a longer onward trip. General tips on choosing between car and public transport are under Getting to the spot.

Photographing at AIRPOWER

In principle the same rules apply as at any big military show, which the guide Photographing airshows covers in detail. A few points are especially important in Zeltweg.

• Focal length: For the flying program you need a telephoto zoom, ideally up to 500 or 600 mm. For the static show a standard zoom is enough; there you stand close to large aircraft such as the A400M or C-130. More on lens choice is under Focal length for plane spotting.
• Shutter speed: You shoot jets with short speeds, propeller aircraft and helicopters with longer ones so that the rotors do not look frozen. Between Eurofighter and Corsair you switch constantly on an AIRPOWER day.
• Weather: September in Upper Styria can be sunny but also cool and wet – the 2019 edition and the first day of 2024 showed that. Rain protection for camera and yourself belongs in the backpack. You will find tips under Plane spotting in bad weather.
• Hearing: A Eurofighter display with afterburner from short range is loud. Hearing protection is mandatory equipment at a military airshow, especially for children; background in the article Aircraft noise and hearing.
• Arrivals and departures: Many guest aircraft arrive in the days before the show and fly off afterward. Around the air base, the rule is: photograph only from public land. What is allowed at military airfields is explained in Photographing military airfields and Plane spotting in Austria.

AIRPOWER compared

In the European calendar, AIRPOWER plays a special role. The Royal International Air Tattoo in England takes place annually and offers more participants, but charges admission. The ILA Berlin is a trade fair with public days where new types take center stage. AIRPOWER combines a large military flying program with free access and a warbird fleet that you otherwise see in this density mostly at special events such as Duxford. More dates in Germany are provided by the Bundeswehr Day, and an overall picture by the overview Airshows in Europe.

What belongs in the backpack is listed point by point in the checklist for airshow day.

Conclusion

AIRPOWER is Austria’s largest airshow and one of the most accessible in Europe: free admission at the latest editions, a broad military program from around 20 nations and the Flying Bulls’ warbirds on one weekend. Because the show does not take place annually and the region reaches its capacity limits, early planning pays off. The next edition is announced for 2027 – once the date is official, it is time to secure accommodation, study the site plan and pack the telephoto.