Visiting Austria
Where to find out how flying works in Austria, who helps visiting pilots on the ground, and who runs tours here. The sources hold the details, so it's worth checking with them before you fly.
Sites on the map
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Before you fly
National body: Österreichischer Aero-Club (ÖAeC), hang gliding and paragliding section (opens in a new tab)
- You need a recognised licence. Licences from 20 listed countries, including Australia, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, are accepted without separate recognition.
- This does not cover tandem or powered flying. Pilots with other licences can apply to the Austrian Aero Club (ÖAeC) for validation.
A short summary, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current requirements with Österreichischer Aero-Club (ÖAeC), hang gliding and paragliding section before you fly. Summary checked 13 Oct 2026.
Österreichischer Aero-Club (ÖAeC), hang gliding and paragliding section: current rules for visiting pilots (opens in a new tab)Finding local knowledge
- At the Elfer site in the Stubai valley, the lift company has handed supervision of the landing field to the local flight school, which gives site briefings during its opening hours.
Checked 13 Oct 2026. Sources: source 1 (opens in a new tab) · source 2 (opens in a new tab) · source 3 (opens in a new tab) · source 4 (opens in a new tab) · source 5 (opens in a new tab) · source 6 (opens in a new tab) · source 7 (opens in a new tab) · source 8 (opens in a new tab)
Europe
- Rules for visiting pilots are set by each country, so licence and insurance requirements differ from one country to the next.
- Many countries let visitors fly with an IPPI card plus a current national licence. The IPPI card gives no insurance cover.
A short summary, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current requirements with the national body of the country you're visiting. Summary checked 13 Oct 2026.
Current rules for visiting pilots (opens in a new tab)Checked 13 Oct 2026. Sources: source 1 (opens in a new tab) · source 2 (opens in a new tab) · source 3 (opens in a new tab) · source 4 (opens in a new tab) · source 5 (opens in a new tab) · source 6 (opens in a new tab)
Help on the ground
Businesses whose own websites say they help visiting pilots. It's worth contacting them before you go. These lists are indicative, not complete. We add more as we find them, so there are likely others not listed here.
On offer here: Site briefings (1) · Lifts and shuttles (1) · Gear hire (1) · Accommodation (1) · Tandem flights (4) · Courses (3)
Neustift (Elfer, Stubai valley)
- Site briefings
- Tandem flights
Gives site briefings for the Elfer area during opening hours and supervises the landing field. It also runs cross-country weeks abroad and offers glider checks.
Source: Parafly website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Fliegercamp Oberes Drautal (opens in a new tab)
Greifenburg (Emberger Alm, Drau valley)
- Lifts and shuttles
- Accommodation
A lakeside campsite with rooms. It runs a daily shuttle to launch (depending on demand) from the swimming-lake car park, with fixed departure times and no booking.
Source: Fliegercamp Oberes Drautal website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Fly Kössen (Flugschule Kössen) (opens in a new tab)
Kössen (Unterberg, Kaiserwinkl)
- Gear hire
- Tandem flights
- Courses
Its test centre lets pilots try demonstration gliders at Unterberg; this is test flying, not general rental. It also runs training and further-training courses.
Source: Fly Kössen (Flugschule Kössen) website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Flugschule Lienz (opens in a new tab)
Lienz (East Tyrol)
- Tandem flights
- Courses
Source: Flugschule Lienz website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Zillertaler Flugschule (opens in a new tab)
Mayrhofen (Zillertal)
- Tandem flights
- Courses
Runs further-training and refresher courses for paraglider and hang glider pilots, plus flying trips including hike-and-fly.
Source: Zillertaler Flugschule website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Flying tours here
Organised trips for qualified pilots, as each operator describes them. These lists are indicative, not complete. We add more as we find them, so there are likely others not listed here.
Papillon Paragliding (opens in a new tab)
Based in Germany
Trips to: Austria, China, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Portugal, Slovenia, Turkey, South Africa
Source: Papillon Paragliding website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Paragliding Safaris (opens in a new tab)
Based in Austria
Trips to: Austria, Colombia, Italy, Turkey
Small groups; training focused on each pilot
Source: Paragliding Safaris website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
SEQ Paragliding (opens in a new tab)
Based in Australia
Trips to: Austria, Italy, Slovenia
Two tours: lower-airtime pilots new to the Alps, and pilots with thermalling and outlanding experience
Source: SEQ Paragliding website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Wings & Waves (opens in a new tab)
Based in New Zealand
Trips to: Austria, France, Italy, New Zealand
Club pilots building thermal and XC skills
Source: Wings & Waves website · checked 16 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Sites and contacts
- Sites in Austria on a map
- ÖAeC hang gliding and paragliding (opens in a new tab)
- ÖAeC: learn to paraglide (opens in a new tab)
- ÖAeC approved schools (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- ÖAeC club finder (opens in a new tab)
- Guest Flight Regulation (PDF, German) (opens in a new tab)
- DHV site database (includes the Alps) (opens in a new tab)
- burnair map (opens in a new tab)
- ParaglidingEarth: Austria (opens in a new tab)
- XContest Austria (opens in a new tab)
Information only. Forecast direction is compared with each site's published wind range; speeds are shown but not judged. Always check the official site guide, the administering club and conditions on the day. You are responsible for your decision to fly.