On Monday, opponents of the Frankfurt 4th runway celebrated the 2nd anniversary of their weekly protests

Date added: 23 October, 2013

At Frankfurt, the Monday evening protests continue. They have just had, on Monday 21st, the second anniversary of the start of the protests. There have been so far a total of 75 Monday evening airport protests, and 19 vigils. Some of the terminal protests (German  airport terminals are deemed to be public property, so people cannot legally be prevented from gathering there) had over 1,000 people. This week it was perhaps 250, but still noisy and determined. Residents now suffering aircraft  noise, and an incomplete night fight ban say Fluglarm macht krank (aircraft noise makes you sick) and fear they are not only unproductive at work, and stressed, but also suffering  health impacts from the noise and disturbed sleep.  They are deeply opposed to the proposed plans to build a third airport terminal, which they say is not needed, and which would only contribute to pressure for yet more flights. Asian travellers passing through the airport are reported to be amazed and bemused, and take photos of the protests to send back home to their friends and family.  Local politicians know the airport, and any expansion, is a toxic issue for voters.
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On Monday, opponents of the Frankfurt 4th runway celebrated the 2nd anniversary of their weekly protests

22.10.2013 (Frankfurt  Journal)

Photo: Nicole Brevoord

Photo: Nicole Brevoord
[Article below is a bad translation from  German, but you can get the feel of  the story, even with the imperfect Google translation  English !] 
Resolutely marched some 250 airport expansion opponent on Monday night at the airport. Also, exactly two years after the start of the runway north-west the noise afflicted want loudly to be heard.
On Monday, the start of the controversial Runway Northwest marked the second time For the airport operator Fraport the runway is to ensure the sustainability of the aviation hub, make more movements and with a terminal 3 are even more passengers can be processed.
In 2020, Fraport 700 000 aircraft movements expected – Terminal 3 provided. But that will prevent the airport expansion opponent.
For two years their protest continues unabated, despite all defeats: the courts and at the ballot box. Even if studies seem to confirm some of what the opponents of the expansion chanting all along – “Noise makes you sick”.
There seems to be no real handle to minimize the noise and enforce the required night flight ban 22-6 clock invariably.  Even the attempt by ventilation shafts. and sound-insulating windows recover “quality of life” seems not to bring, especially if any of the stay will be denatured by the noise of country forming flyer in the garden, the residents of Germany’s largest airport are pissed -.[off?].
Still Every Monday for two years, they have in the evening protests in Terminal 1 off steam.
75 Monday demonstrations and 19 vigils later they will not give in, are happy about the publicity, even if it is just astonished Asian passengers, although the accompanying ratchets, timpani and bells march can not understand it, but send it as a mobile phone photo around the world. 
It was a fairly small group of protesters, about 250 Wutbürger who committed the dubious anniversary of the runway Monday evening and not as usual trilling remained in an induced by the autumn holidays vigil at Terminal 1 .
Instead pilgrimage which stocked with posters protesters – who came mostly from the region and only occasionally from the south of Frankfurt – Terminal 2, to remind there that where the capabilities are still far from exhausted and you still have dreams of Terminal 3 .
“This terminal was opened in 1994,” says Dirk grains of interest for the control of aircraft noise. Nevertheless, the terminal 1, although total of 284 check-in counters, Terminal 2 had only 136 tickets can be bought at the old terminal at 210 locations , while in Terminal 2 only 72 points. since so still go a lot, another terminal is unnecessary. 
Accompanied by chanting, poetic sayings such as “every Monday at 18 clock we bring the noise returns!” attracted the opponents of the expansion of Terminal 2 . “We are here, we are loud, because you are stealing the peace”. 
A protester holding up a Saxon house sign, strikes us by its restrained way. She was an employee of the city, which is why they do not want to read their names here .
Nevertheless, in the neighborhood where they grew up and where her parents still live, it was unbearable. “farther south to get to Sachsenhausen, the worse it gets. If I stay there and the day to work on it, I’m like half dead body to the office. “
Even you would find in the arcades in the allotment gardens and playgrounds sticky kerosene residue. But if it is so bad, why the SPD in the state elections not more votes collected in Sachsenhausen?
Instead the declared opponents of the expansion Ralf Heider won the CDU politician Michael Bodden mountain purely vocally the South. “This to me is inexplicable. There are days like after the election, because I am losing hope that the runway is ever closed, but then I rappel me again. Without hope I would not be here today, “said the young woman, who regularly attends the Monday demonstrations in two years.
There are now carpools and you know already.” I believe that people from the community to pull out something for themselves, ” she explains the continued protest lust. “I think for a lot of the demo is a  pressure release valve.”
“I was surprised to have that in the regional elections around the airport gained mainly the CDU,” says Dirk grains.
Approximately one-third of the population feels would be bothered by aircraft noise, but the rest of it is just matter. We will not let up with the protest and present at the exploratory talks our demands. If we could, to prevent the construction of Terminal 3, there would be fewer flights and the runway therefore no longer necessary. “
Also for the expansion opponent Ursula fencer is a waiver of the Terminal 3 of the lever only seemingly realistic to close the runway.

 “We have taken before the election with the parties contact and described our concern for the SPD, the Greens and the Left we found echoes Also Tarek Al-Wazir said:.., With me there is no terminal 3 ‘” and Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel also sees the critical construction projects. We observe declining aircraft movements due to larger planes that are in use. Only the number of passengers increases. “Still, she believes. At the airport expansion opponents hope dies last, and until then will always let out Monday with a bang of displeasure.”

http://www.journal-frankfurt.de/journal_news/Panorama-2/Am-Montag-begingen-Ausbaugegner-ein-Jubilaeum-Zwei-Jahre-Landebahn-und-zwei-Jahre-Protest-20013.html?newsletter_id=1664
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There are many more news stories about Frankfurt airport and the protests at 

  • Frankfurt Airport news
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  • Some earlier news stories about the Frankfurt protests:
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  • Der Spiegel article: “Screaming for Quiet – Germans Crank Up Anti-Noise Protests”

    October 9, 2013

    An article in the German paper, Der Spiegel, says many Germans are getting fed up with all the noise pollution coming from planes, trains and cars. Despite numerous studies warning of associated health risks, politicians are merely giving lip service to the worries. The victims of rail noise in the Rhine Valley have teamed up with victims of airport noise in the Frankfurt region, and they are now calling for joint demonstrations in their respective state capitals. As well as the almost weekly protests against noise in the Frankfurt airport departure hall, citizens are also staging frequent protests against aircraft noise in Berlin, Cologne and Leipzig, as well as along the flight path into Zurich Airport. There are also protests against road noise. People are no longer willing to accept so much noise. Though it is now not in doubt that noise has health impacts, there remains uncertainty about how much noise is harmful and what the consequences are. But politicians, though starting to acknowledge the issue, continue to only make non-specific promises that there will be improvements. Nothing imminent.    Click here to view full story…

     

    Protest aircraft noise, making a lighted “runway” down the street

    Frankfurt runway from torches

    This is one of the creative Frankfurt airport noise protests http://www.fr-online.de/flughafen-frankfurt,2641734,21930880.html … where they have made a “runway” by their lighted torches

     

    The 60th Monday demonstration on 13th May 2013

    At the 60th regular Monday evening demo against aircraft noise in the Frankfurt airport terminal, the police estimated some 780 protesters. The protesters always have a different, higher, number than that of the police. The protesters sang, as they always do, their song
    “The runway must go” (“Die Landebahn muss weg”). The placard reads “Aircraft noise not only makes you sick but also dead”. This time they also had serious concerns about increasing aircraft noise from a new pattern of take-offs, with planes allowed to boost power earlier. http://www.fr-online.de/flughafen-frankfurt,2641734,22703350.html 

     

    Roof tiles and ladybugs – Monday demonstrations on 9 April 2013

    The recent demonstration against aircraft noise, the participants took on Monday night, 9 April tiles with – protest against the so-called wake vortices of low flying jets, which have covered in the Main-Taunus-city Florsheim roofs. The organizers of information about 2000 participants – the police spoke of 1,150 – but had also comforting to putting children distributed sweet ladybug to the Fraport staff as a thank you for the patience allmontägliche.  http://www.fr-online.de/flughafen-frankfurt,2641734,22319570.html

     

     

    Fraport delays building of 3rd terminal building for better times

    3.12.2012     (Apologies for bad translation from German). The construction of the third terminal of Frankfurt airport operator Fraport is waiting  for better times. The date of the start of construction is still to be decided and it will be built when there is the demand.  To handle the predicted passenger number of about 90 million in 2020, a new terminal section adjacent to Terminal 1 for an additional 6 million passengers opened on October 10, 2012, and a large third terminal for 25 million passengers is scheduled to be built beginning in 2013.   Frankfurt is currently experiencing a stagnation of air traffic. It had forecast 4% passenger growth, but this is down to 2 – 3%. The number of aircraft movements decreased compared to the previous year by 4.6%.   The new terminal will be built on the site of the former U.S. air base in the south of the airport. Full article in the original in German at 

    http://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/news/unternehmen/fraport-wartet-mit-terminal-bau-auf-bessere-zeiten-1936092.html

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Posted: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013. Filed in News about Airports, Noise News, Recent News.