Big Protests in Frankfurt over 4th Runway
Every Monday over 1,000 people gather in Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport to protest against the impact of the 4th Runway which was opened on 21st October. The new runway has created noise problems for over 100,000 newresidents. 20,000 people took part in a demonstration the day before it opened. Although the authorities have (reluctantly) agreed to ban flights between 23.00 hours and 05.00 hours, a huge number of people are suffering as a result of the new runway. The runway was only built after a bitter battle with local residents and environmentalists.
20.12.2011 (sueddeutsche.de )
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Protests against new runway at Frankfurt Wutbürger in Terminal 1
[ Proteste gegen neue Landebahn in Frankfurt Wutbürger in Terminal 1 ]
[The German version of the article is at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/proteste-gegen-neue-landebahn-in-frankfurt-wutbuerger-in-terminal-1.1238579 ]
[This is a poor translation from the German, but it gives a flavour of what is going on].
The explosive atmosphere at the Frankfurt airport is reminiscent of the protests against Stuttgart 21: Residents of the new runway demonstrating loudly against “noise terrorists” and “baby killers”. Suddenly politicians are also Union for a strict ban on night flights – but the citizens do not believe them.
They bring back the noise in the Frankfurt airport , every Monday. A woman hammering together two pot lids, another swings her cowbell through the departure hall B, a gentleman with a wooden spoon a thrashing in a detergent pack. The anger drives them into the terminal 1, there were nearly 3,000 residents last week. Also on Monday evening to come back they want to protect their ears back with plugs and noisy parade through the departure hall, past the incredulous-looking tourists from Asia: “We are here, we are loud, because we were stealing the rest!”
Who is currently in Frankfurt, arrives in the land a politically explosive situation. Two months ago the Chancellor happily opened the new runway at Germany’s largest airport, spoke of a good day for Germany. Since then, the day begins for many local residents so that they can be woken up at five in a snarl. The aircraft fly new routes, towns, they sometimes cross in less than 300 meters.
Particularly where people are plagued by the noise, can be read easily in Terminal 1, the demonstrators wearing yellow signs bearing the names of their places, there are dozens. Mainz is on it, Florsheim, Sachsenhausen ford or just noise. A speaker calls out: “We will demonstrate until this railway, which torture us all is closed!” Men with loudspeakers broadcast on the back of her words, and now we hear nothing in the departure hall of the metal announcements of launches. You hear only the residents, they shout: “The train has to go!”
Meanwhile, the government has recognized the seriousness of the situation. The Prime Minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier ( CDU ) ordered the “leaders of flight operations” and for this Monday, “we want a significant noise reduction,” he demanded.
And Interior Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), who wants to be elected in the spring to Frankfurt’s mayor, is now a strict ban on night flights. He is driven by the fear that could unload the wrath of the citizens in it, after all live in the south of the city’s many civic CDU voters. Even the Hessian FDP is suddenly on the night flight ban. Only the politicians have considerable credibility problem. “Pack of lies, lies, pack,” it echoes through the airport as soon as a speaker, the language brings to them.
Suddenly even the CDU and FDP are for a night flight ban
Above all, Roland Koch was the Frankfurt airport on Monday evening, avoid. The former CDU prime minister has at the same playful residents twice: first he promised to give the new car, it only together with the night flight ban, which was the compromise to which airport opponents and proponents agreed to mediation. But under pressure from the Lufthansa cooking changed his mind and had yet to approve 17 flights per night. And when a court has been declared unlawful, Hesse government lodged an audit. So everything is still open until the spring, the Federal Administrative Court decides whether the pilots continue to be out from 23 to five clock. No one likes to imagine how the protest should look first, drop the ban.
Already, the heated atmosphere in Terminal 1 is reminiscent of those around the Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. Red is the wanted poster framed in the hands of a woman, “noise terrorists” so that it looks, one sees the heads of Koch, Bouffier and the airport manager. Another poster dubbed the airport operator Fraport as “baby killers”, because the little “wake up under a kerosene-mist” now.
As in Stuttgart go here mainly seasoned citizens to the barricades. The real estate broker Karlheinz Rosemeyer from Nackenheim wearing goggles and stylish clothes, the only protest sticker on his forehead would remove it, before he can sell houses.He feels at his peers: “Here are all affluent people here are not Ausgeflippten.” Then they call again: “The train has to go!”
Protests against new runway at Frankfurtat the wrong place built
This objective will probably not reach, eventually killing the construction of more than 1.4 billion euros, including installation of a chemical factory, which stood in the middle of the no-fly. But is emerging ever more clearly that the new runway was cast in the wrong place. The official line is always the place was north of the airport was chosen because he is very well positioned in terms of noise. But that’s not, as evidenced by the protests.
It would have been possible to bulldoze the railway in the south. Significantly fewer residents there would have been affected. In contrast, however, spoke primarily political arguments: A little place called home Zeppelin would probably have to be seed off, he would have been too close to it. Above all, the West runway would not have been more practical use, because it would come on and departing machines in the way. Without them we would have to build in the south two lanes so as not to cause a bottleneck again. The runway was too close West, many in the Hessian policy and the airport operator Fraport , however, be totally inconceivable – finally arrived at the protests against them two policemen were killed. It is not yet 20 years old. So they built in the north and many people brought the noise.
Complaining now about how Edith Lawrence “injury”. It protests not often, she works as a civil servant in a ministry. But now 1100 meters whistle on their home machines, and she wonders if they their little idyll, in which she has invested so much money is leaving soon. “When is the next state election?” It says on their poster.
Observe from a gallery of men in dark suits to protest, they are part of the airport operator Fraport and seem a bit tense. The airline industry is seriously concerned that the demonstrators demand an extended long night flight ban. It should apply at least 22 to 6 clock, two hours longer than before.
The aviation industry is concerned
Here, the charter and cargo airlines are already complaining now that they no longer allowed to fly at night. Even for flights that are scheduled after 22 clock, it may already be tight: A small delay is limited, they must already fail because waivers are granted sparingly. On Friday evening, so 520 Lufthansa passengers stranded inFrankfurt . Like the flight plan should be maintained in the winter, when the de-icing costs a lot of time, nobody knows.
Time and again the nervousness in the industry quite obvious. As a scientist recently claimed all night cargo flights could be easily moved from Frankfurt Hahn Airport, responded Lufthansa Cargo with a multi-page statement in which he was accused in harsh tone complete ignorance. The nerves are worn thin on both sides.
When the demo comes to an end in Terminal 1, the speaker adopts selected politely: “I wish you a peaceful week,” he says, “even if you do not have to be.”
Every Monday over 1,000 people gather in Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport to protest against the impact of the 4th Runway which was opened on 21st October. The new runway has created noise problems for over 100,000 newresidents. 20,000 people took part in a demonstration the day before it opened. Although the authorities have (reluctantly) agreed to ban flights between 23.00 hours and 05.00 hours, a huge number of people are suffering as a result of the new runway. The runway was only built after a bitter battle with local residents and environmentalists.
Wikipedia states that:
Fourth runway
Plans to build a fourth runway at Frankfurt Airport had been under-way since 1997 but due to the violent conflicts with the building of the third runway, Fraport let residents groups and environmentalists participate in the process to find an agreeable solution. In 2000 a task force presented their conclusion which generally approved a new runway, but in shorter length (only 2.800 metres compared to the other three 4.000 metres long runways) which would serve as a landing-only runway for smaller aircraft. Additional requirements included improved noise protection arrangements and a strict ban on night flights between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. across the whole airport. In 2001 Fraport applied for an approval to build a new runway, with three possible variants assessed. This concluded that a runway north-west of the airport ground would deliver the fewest adverse effects for local residents and the surrounding environment. The plans were approved by the Hessian government in December 2007, but the requested ban on night flights was lifted because it was argued that an international airport like Frankfurt would need night flights, especially for worldwide freight transport. Construction of the new 2,800 meters (9,240 feet) long Runway Northwest in the Kelsterbach Forest began in early 2009.
The runway officially went into operation on October 20, 2011, with an aircraft carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel performing the first landing on October 21.
The centre line separation from the existing north runway is about 1,400 meters (4,620 feet). This will allow for simultaneous instrument landing system (ILS) operations on these two runways, which has not been possible on the existing parallel runways because they do not meet the 3,500 foot requirement for ILS operations.[5] This will enable the airport to increase its capacity from the current 83 to 126 aircraft movements per hour.[6][7]
Preliminary ban on night flights
On October 11, 2011, the Hessian Administration Court ruled that night flights are no longer allowed at Frankfurt Airport after the inauguration of the new runway, and therefore overrode the approval from the Hessian government from 2007 which allowed 17 scheduled flights per night. A definitive ruling concerning night flights at Frankfurt Airport will be made by the German Administrative Court, but not before 2012.
Future expansions
With the inauguration of the 4th runway, in October 2011 the airport is able to handle the predicted demand of about 700,000 aircraft movements in 2020.
To handle the predicted passenger amount of 90 million in 2020, Fraport is currently building a new terminal section at Terminal 1. Also, a new Terminal 3 is scheduled to be built south of the existing terminals beginning in 2013.
Terminal 1 expansion
A new pier, called A-Plus, is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2012. The pier will operate flights to non-Schengendestinations and will be used exclusively by Lufthansa. It will be compatible with Airbus A380 operations and should increase the passenger capacity by six million.
Terminal 3
Fraport also plans to build a large new terminal south of the existing terminals at the ground of the former Rhein-Main Air Base. The newTerminal 3 should be able to house up to 25 million passengers and will feature 75 new aircraft positions. An extension of the people mover system SkyLine is planned to transport people to Terminal 1, the airport train stations and Terminal 2.
see also
Frankfurt airport temporary ban on night flights between 11pm and 5am
A court in Germany has ruled that Frankfurt airport cannot have any night flights,
after 30th October, between 11pm and 5am. The total ban will stay in effect until
the German Federal Administrative High Court in Leipzig can weigh in on the decision.
Lufthansa Cargo says the ban will kill off its business, which has 11 of the total
17 night slots, and uses 8 – 10 of them. They want 23 night movements by 2020.
A new Frankfurt runway is due to open on 21st October.
20.10.2011 https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=4635