Controversial approach procedure may be further tested at night
Kassel Administrative Court does not see any unreasonable noise pollution from trial operation of the “Segmented Approach”. Rüsselsheim, Neu-Isenburg and Heusenstamm had sued.
As feared by the complaining municipalities, the Hessian Administrative Court in Kassel has rejected an urgent application from southern Hessian cities, with which the German air traffic control (DFS) should be temporarily prohibited from further test operations of the segmented approach to Frankfurt Airport.
The so-called segmented approach procedure is intended to protect the densely populated cities of Offenbach, Hanau and Mainz by allowing aircraft to fly past them to the south before making their final approach to Frankfurt Airport. This places a greater burden on other municipalities. Rüsselsheim, Neu-Isenburg and Heusenstamm for a total of 15 municipalities from the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg, Groß-Gerau, Offenbach and Mainz-Bingen had filed suit against the extension of the testing of the approach procedure.
The reason given by the court on December 21 was that it cannot be assumed that the continued trial operation would lead to unreasonable noise pollution that would impair the functionality of the applicants’ municipal facilities. The noise pollution determined during the trial operation in 2021 and a study commissioned by the cities did not justify this assumption. So far, the noise values have remained well below the values assumed in the noise protection area.
The municipalities reacted disappointed. “The fact that the decision would be against us was to be expected after the court’s interim orders,” said Rüsselsheim’s mayor Udo Bausch (independent). “I can’t understand why it didn’t matter to the Administrative Court that approaches without a legal basis are carried out mainly at night from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. and from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m., and the VGH does not justify this either.”
Waiting for approval
The municipalities had opposed the approach procedure on the grounds that its use to the extent envisaged was illegal. The noise impacts are so significant that they cannot be expected to wait for a court decision in the main proceedings.
The decision of the Federal Supervisory Office for Air Traffic Control is currently being awaited. There, German air traffic control had applied for a so-called AltMOC permit. The background IS that the segmented approach procedure does not correspond to the applicable standards and this deviation must first be approved. this is why the trial run has so far only taken place hesitantly.
Lawyer Thomas Mehler announced that the affected municipalities reserve the right to apply again for a ban on trial operation if the aircraft noise increases, especially at night on municipal properties.