The German Airline Association (BDF) has described today’s ruling on the Frankfurt airport development as a devastating signal for the aviation industry. After one and a half years of court proceedings and ten years of development discussion, the higher administrative court in Kassel has deemed the development of Frankfurt airport legitimate, a ruling welcomed by BDF; the question of night-time flights, however, was referred back to the ministry of economics of Federal State Hesse, along with highly restrictive specifications.
Taking into account the legally required protection of the local residents against night-time aircraft noise, the court sees little room for allowing flights in the middle of the night. For the airlines and the high-performers at the airport, this comes down to a virtual halt in production at night time.
The association worries that this ruling may find application on other airports, eliminating export nation and travel world champion Germany from the international competition for six hours a day. Limitations of this magnitude are bound to bring with them an exodus of logistics companies and a shift of freight traffic to the roads. This would result in many more people being affected by noise than would be the case with air-express.
Flights in the early and late hours of night are still dangling on a string. The association anticipates the state’s re-opening of the case to result in renewed protests and newly emerging plaintiffs. Long-term decisions by the regional companies are again being stalled for years.
Reflecting on these consequences, the conditions that led to the verdict can only be seen as adverse to investment. They disregard the economy players’ need for legal relief, which needs to be strengthened for the public benefit.
The German Airline Association (BDF) represents most of Germany’s air carriers (scheduled, charter and low fare) before parliament, government administration and airports. Its member airlines are among the safest in the industry and transport more than 120 million passengers worldwide each year, generating revenues of nearly EUR 27 billion. The BDF associated airlines employ more than 120.000 people.
