Alternative flight corridor at Leipzig/Halle Airport to protect communities from noise

An alternative flight corridor is to be examined at Leipzig/Halle Airport in order to better protect neighboring communities from aircraft noise. German Air Traffic Control (DFS) has been commissioned to examine shifting the departure procedure to the east, as the Aircraft Noise Commission (FLK) at Leipzig/Halle Airport announced on Thursday. The aim is to investigate whether the alternative corridor would allow aircraft to fly over less populated areas and thus affect fewer residents. Night flights, which are permitted for freight, have been the main source of annoyance for years - there are now around 20 citizens' initiatives.

The Saxon aircraft noise protection officer Jörg Puchmüller measured the aircraft noise in Krostitz (district of North Saxony) last year. His result: it was not so loud that the limits of the Aircraft Noise Protection Act were exceeded, as Puchmüller said when asked. It was therefore not possible to take passive measures such as soundproof windows. A decision by German air traffic control is not expected for several months.

Halle/Leipzig Airport is also to be extensively expanded. Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG plans to invest 500 million euros. Among other things, the number of parking spaces for cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle is to increase significantly. The planning approval procedure is currently still underway. Opponents of the expansion criticize the project as being completely out of date in view of the climate crisis.