Protests against the expansion of Leipzig/Halle Airport

The environmental association BUND will take legal action against the approval for the expansion of Leipzig/Halle Airport. This was announced by a BUND spokesperson at a protest rally against the airport expansion. An alliance of local residents, citizens' initiatives and environmental associations gathered on Augustusplatz in Leipzig on Saturday to demonstrate against the expansion of the airport.

The Saxon state administration approved the expansion of the airport in September. The project involves expanding the apron area by 39 hectares within the airport site. The aim is to significantly increase handling capacity for freight.

Leipzig/Halle Airport on the border of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt is now the second-largest freight airport in Germany. Cargo aircraft are permitted to fly at night. The operator, Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, plans to invest 500 million euros. The shipping company DHL Express is planning to expand its logistics hub at the airport.

The campaign alliance against the airport expansion criticizes the fact that the concerns of local residents were ignored when the expansion was approved. More than 8,000 objections and comments were received in the process, which were taken into account according to the state directorate. From the point of view of the opponents of the expansion, the approval of the expansion is also a "fossil relapse". A ban on night flights for Leipzig/Halle was also demanded at the demonstration.