Munich Airport
Wikipedia on Munich Airport
Munich now Europe’s 6th busiest airport, overtaking Rome; decision on 3rd runway to be made in June
March 15, 2012 Munich airport is Lufthansa’s 2nd largest base in Germany after Frankfurt. A third runway has been proposed for the airport and last week, a variety of supporters from across the political and business spectrum got together to promote the benefits of an additional runway. A decision is due in June as to whether the airport can proceed with its plans. Campaigners are getting organised to oppose the planned building of a new 3rd runway at Munich. The case for a new runway there is weak because the existing runways are nowhere near capacity, most of the flights from Munich are domestic so could transfer to rail, and there is very low unemployment in the area. Click here to view full story…
Munich protesters picnic in the terminal to protest against 3rd runway, and send a message in song to Heathrow opponents – “We shall overcome”
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B2juC4FhtY (1 min 12 secs) 24.3.2012
Noise ban provides nightmares for German airports and airlines but better sleep for campaigning residents
April 21, 2012 GreenAir online has a long and comprehensive article about what has been going on in Germany recently, with the huge protests at Frankfurt against the 4th runway, and against night flights – which have now been stopped over a 6 hour period. Also the protests at Cologne Bonn Airport where there is now a night flight ban. And protests in Munich against plans for a new 3rd runway. There will also be a 6 hour night flight ban at Berlin’s new Brandenburg International Airport when it opens in June. Airlines like Lufthansa are complaining, and claiming they cannot run an efficient and profitable freight operation without night flights being permitted. The German Aviation Assoc claims there are no such bans at Amsterdam, Paris, London or Dubai. But the German opposition has been very effecive and got results. Click here to view full story…
Thousands gather at German airports to protest against aircraft noise
March 27, 2012 On Saturday 24th, thousands across Germany – perphaps as many as 30,000 – took part in protests at airports, against airport expansion and aircraft noise. At Frankfurt airport there were around 10,000 people, wanting a night flight ban from 22:00 until 6:00 and a cap on the number of take-offs and landings each day. At Berlin there were about 10,000 protesters against the planned new Brandenburg airport. And at Munich airport, over 500 people had a picnic in the terminal, protesting against a planned 3rd runway, the decision on which is due in June. There were also protests at Halle, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Bonn and Cologne – as well as at Nantes. Click here to view full story…
Munich picnic. Very German.
Munich could become a German Heathrow if local opposition manages to block 3rd runway plans
March 2, 2012
John Stewart and some other campaigners recently visited Germany, to see the current protests against airport expansion there. John has written about their visit. He says campaigners are getting organised to oppose the planned building of a new 3rd runway at Munich. The case for a new runway there is weak because the existing runways are nowhere near capacity, most of the flights from Munich are domestic so could transfer to rail, and there is very low unemployment in the area. Visiting Frankfurt, they attended one of the regular Monday evening protests. The movement there driven by the concern about climate change, have brought together a first-rate coalition of environmental activists, local residents, sympathetic politicians and academic experts. They are a considerable force to be reckoned with. Click here to view full story…
Saturday 24th March: Tens of Thousands expected at Nationwide Protests against Airport Expansion in Germany
March 22, 2012 Same Day: Major demonstration in Nantes in SW France
UK airport campaigners have sent messages of support to their fellow campaigners in Germany and France who will be staging major demonstrations against airport expansion on Saturday 24th March. In Germany tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out in at least five cities. In Frankfurt as many as 20,000 people could occupy the terminal. And, in Munich the campaigners against the proposed 3rd runway will hold as picnic in the terminal. In Nantes the demonstrators will occupy the centre of the city. There will also be protests in Berlin, Cologne and Leipzig. This gives the lie to the impression always given by the UK aviation industry that airports in Europe will continue to expand. They will not do so without immense and powerful opposition. Click here to view full story…
Wikipedia says, on the runway issue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Airport
Third runway
A third runway would increase the number schedulable aircraft movements per hour from 90 to 120.[10] It would run in parallel to the existing runways and be located to the northeast of the current north runway, significantly extending the total area occupied by the airport.
According to Flughafen München GmbH (FMG), the airport’s operator, the current two-runway system is already operating at full capacity during peak hours, and requests for additional slots from airlines have been denied. Further increase in air traffic is expected as Munich is to become a second major hub in Germany after Frankfurt.
In August 2007, the airport operator applied for a planning permission from the government of Upper Bavaria. As more than 60,000 objections have been filed during public display of the plans, the procedures are expected not to conclude before 2011.
While according to ICAO Regulations (Annex XIV) the new runway would have to be named 08L/26R (renaming the existing north runway to 08C/26C), it is currently assigned the working title 09/27 in all plans.[11]
Munich Airport.
Facts and Figures, from the airport
| Passengers 2010 | 34,721,605 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger change 09-10 |  6.2% | ||
| Aircraft Movements | 389,939 | ||
| Movements change 09-10 |  1.7% | ||
| Sources: Passenger Traffic, ADV[1] German AIP at EUROCONTROL[2] | |||
Aircraft Noise demos from Frankfurt to Berlin. Thousands of German noise opponents protest in several cities
February 4, 2012
There have been major protests at several German airports today, against aircraft noise, with whistles, drums and banners. There were about 20,000 protestors at Frankfurt protesting against noise from the new runway that opened in October. This was the largest protest at the airport since the opening . The police estimated the number of participants to 7,700, the organizers – a coalition of citizens’ groups against the airport expansion – spoke of 20,000 people. There were also demonstrations at Berlin, Leipzig, Munich and Dusseldorf. Click here to view full story…
Munich airport’s third runway gets district go-ahead
26.7.2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/munichairport-idUSLDE76P0R720110726
(Reuters) – A German district government ruled on Tuesday that Munich airport can add a third runway, a move which will expand passenger capacity at the Lufthansa hub.
The district of Upper Bavaria said estimates of future traffic growth showed the additional runway was necessary, though it would only allow operations between 6 a.m and 10 p.m. to cut noise pollution at night.
In addition, the owners of about 100 houses near the airport would have the right to sell their properties to the airport’s operator for the market value they had in 2007.
Munich is home to Germany’s second-biggest airport after Frankfurt, with annual passenger numbers of about 35 million.
According to Munich airport, about 90 percent of long-haul flights to and from Germany pass through Frankfurt and Munich.
Lufthansa and German airlines association BDF said they welcomed the decision.
Third Munich Airport runway wins key ruling
By Cathy Buyck | August 5, 2011 (ATW)
http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/article/third-munich-airport-runway-wins-key-ruling-0805
Munich Airport received planning approval in late July from the regional Bavarian government for the construction of a third runway, which will allow it to handle up to 120 movements per hour, up from the current 90. The planning permission does come with restrictions, e.g. operations are allowed only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. to cut noise pollution at night. The new runway will be 4000 m. (13,100 ft.) long and 60 m. wide. It will be located 1,180 m. north of the current runway 08L/26R, with its thresholds displaced 2,100 m. to the east.
FMG, the operating company that manages MUC, began planning a third runway six years ago. The ruling by the local government is decisive and permits the immediate start of constrution work. However, FMG said it expects a legal challenge to the ruling and therefore it “plans to start construction only after a court decision.” It added that against “this backdrop we are aiming to put the new runway into operation as of 2015.”
FMG has three shareholders: the regional state of Bavaria (51%), the federal republic of Germany (26%) and the city of Munich (23%).
Besides a third runway, FMG is also planning a new terminal satellite facility at MUC to expand the passenger handling capacity of Terminal 2 and increase the number of gate positions for aircraft from 27 to 52. The satellite facility, which is designed to be built on top of the existing baggage sorting hall on the eastern apron, is scheduled to go into operation in 2015. It will increase the annual passenger capacity of MUC by 11 million to more than 50 million. The new satellite building will be financed jointly with Lufthansa, the airport’s largest user.
MUC is LH’s second largest hub after Frankfurt. It handled34.7 million passengers and some 390,000 flights in 2010, maintaining its number seven ranking among Europe’s top ten airports. Itrecorded a 13% year-over-year increase in passenger throughput in the 2011 first half to just under 18 million. “This is the highest number in the history of Munich Airport. We have never before counted this many passengers in the first half of the year,” said CEO Michael Kerkloh. The number of takeoffs and landings increased more than 9% to a new record of 202,000.