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Thousands gather at airports to protest noise

Published: 25 Mar 12 10:34 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120325-41545.html

Crowds of protesters gathered at Germany's biggest airports on Saturday to stage mass demonstrations against air traffic noise. A combined 20,000 people took part in the protests in Berlin and Frankfurt alone.

With just months to go before the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors in June, the demonstration against aviation noise in the German capital was the biggest of its kind so far.

Organisers said about 10,000 people attended the protest in Berlin, with roughly the same number gathering at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's biggest hub.

Demonstrators staged smaller rallies in Munich, Halle, Düsseldorf and Cologne.

Citizen groups in Berlin have spent months contesting flight route plans at the future BBI airport. The initiatives have called for a strict ban on flights between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Protesters swarmed Terminal 1 in Frankfurt, calling for more extensive night flight regulations.

"We continue to call for a night flight ban from 22:00 until 6:00 and a cap on the number of take-offs and landings each day," said Michael Wilk of the "Rhein-Main" citizen initiative coalition.

In Munich, the demonstration took aim at domestic air travel. "We cannot keep expanding air traffic inside Germany when we have such well-developed road and rail networks," said Florian Sperk of the "Bund Naturschutz" group in Bavaria.

DAPD/arp

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

11:06 March 25, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
The same protestors would then be protesting against too many cars coming in and out of the city. We either go back in time where there was little air traffic or aim to reduce the noise of airplanes. Air traffic is a fact of life in the modern world.
12:32 March 25, 2012 by raandy
Berlin, Germany's capital, wants to limit the number of daily flights and ban flights between 2200-0600, ?? Sure, that sounds like it will work smoothly and become a major factor for progress in and out of Berlin.I wonder when all the other major world capitals will adopt this bold plan.
15:50 March 25, 2012 by catjones
Airport workers called the police to complain about the noise from the protestors.

10k from berlin? Really?
18:39 March 25, 2012 by twisted
Protestors are wasting their breathe. Airports are a part of daily life and besides, too much money is involved. Either learn to live with it or move. You have my sympathy, but that won't help much.
22:59 March 25, 2012 by chicagolive
The funny thing is that these people say "We cannot keep expanding air traffic inside Germany when we have such well-developed road and rail networks," well lets think. When the strikes where going on and people had to divert to Stuttgart or Koln airports my 1 1/2 Stuttgart commute took me 3 hours had to call in one day because the traffic was 80km. So yea guess that whole statement goes to crap when reality sets in.
10:15 March 26, 2012 by elboertjie
Why not increase the price of all the facilities and services at these airports? With overall fees being higher, there would be a better price and demand equilibrium; companies would make more money and traffic would be either the same as now or even a bit less.

That is a win-win situation, or?
17:08 March 26, 2012 by nolibs
These people by cheap land near the airport, and then complain about the noise. Nothing to see here, move along.
22:18 March 28, 2012 by neunElf
THis is a time in the economic history of Europe, that restraints should NOT be placed upon commerce and wealth creation.

You will not get NEEDED growth with a restriction on mobility of people and products!

The noise patterns of modern aircraft are FAR less than previous generation aircraft.

How many of these protestors actually live in a flightpath?

How many made their home BEFORE the construction of the offended airport?
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