The Leipzig Left Party is calling on the city to take legal action against the approval for the expansion of Leipzig/Halle Airport. The parliamentary group has submitted a corresponding motion to the city council.
"The airport has been a controversial issue for years. Even without the planned expansion, many residents in the surrounding towns and communities are massively affected by aircraft noise," said City Councillor Enrico Stange (Left Party). The planning approval procedure itself had also met with criticism. The application is to be voted on at the council meeting on November 21.
Aeronautical apron area to be expanded by 39 hectares
The Saxon state directorate approved the expansion of the airport in September. The project involves expanding the apron area by 39 hectares within the airport site in order to eliminate existing bottlenecks and adapt handling capacities to the expected volume of shipments by 2032.
According to the state directorate, more than 8,000 objections and comments from citizens and public bodies were taken into account in the planning approval process. The objections mainly related to concerns regarding noise protection, the impact on global climate protection and the necessity of the expansion.
Left-wing party warns of health risks
"For the state directorate, economic interests seem to outweigh the health of local citizens," criticized city councillor Volker Külow (Left Party). According to serious studies, constant noise pollution can lead to serious illnesses, while the constantly increasing number of night flights makes it almost impossible to get a restful night's sleep.
Leipzig/Halle Airport on the border of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt is now the second largest cargo 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.
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