• Germany edition
National
Photo: DPA

Protest makes noise for night flight ban

Published: 25 Nov 12 11:22 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121125-46371.html

Thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt this weekend to demand a nationwide ban on nighttime flights between the hours of 10pm and 6am as part of a European Day of Action against night flights.

Organisers said 4,000 people took part in a demonstration march in Berlin culminating in a rally outside the national headquarters of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD). Activists demanded the party rethink their policy on aviation noise pollution, an issue which has disappeared from their manifesto.

Using the opportunity presented by the upcoming 2013 elections, protesters held banners dismissing the Social Democrats as the “party of the air noise pollution supporters, no longer electable.”

Protesters said they hoped to raised awareness of the health dangers associated with aviation noise pollution. Berlin demonstrator Annerose Seifert pointed to a recent study into the health of those living near the Cologne-Bonn airport, which shows people living in flight paths are at higher risk of suffering heart attacks and developing circulation problems or breast cancer.

“Society shoulders the cost of treating these diseases, the airline companies do not share their profits,” she said.

Seifert is a member of a citizens' campaign group from Treptow in south-east Berlin – due to come under the flight path of the new Berlin-Brandenburg airport, scheduled finally to go into operation next October after long delays.

Coordinated actions also took place in Munich and in the Rhein-Main region surrounding Frankfurt Airport - Germany's largest, where activists hung 45 five metre-long banners demanding a nighttime ban on flights from motorway bridges and on main roads.

Others have been campaigning for years for an improvement to the learning conditions for children in the Frankfurt Airport flight path. “Our children have to stand between 30 and 60 aeroplanes thundering over the school every hour,” Otto Doermer of the parents' council at the Martin-Buber School told the Frankfurter Rundschau regional newspaper on Saturday.

Meanwhile, several hundred environmentalists and citizens living in the flight path of Munich airport gathered outside the headquarters of the conservative Christian Socialist Union (CSU) headquarters to demand not only a nighttime ban on flights, but also that plans to build a new runway be shelved in accordance with the “no” vote given in a city referendum in June.

DAPD/The Local/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

14:28 November 25, 2012 by blackboot11
just a FYI.

Frankfurt Flughafen was running commercial flights since 1909, so its no surprise that this 'noise' would continue in the future in thus area. I am sure that these people that are complaining here now were very well aware of the airport's existence for more than their ENTIRE lifetime .... The entire world is not running at the same hour, theirs. There are 24 timezones on this planet where these flights are departing to and arriving from.

If they don't like the noise then they should move to a quiet dorf somwhere else.

just an idea....LOL!
21:37 November 25, 2012 by Enough
These are the same kind of people that will complain about damage to the enviroment from cars and trucks on the autobahn, but think nothing of complaining about the noise from night time and weekend work....seems they would rather waste everyone's gas while it take forever to get a construction project done.
00:01 November 26, 2012 by royp
No, there is new runway in southern Frankfurt, so creating a new flight path over south Frankfurt, in the more fashionable (wealthy) residential suburb of Sachsenhausen, where the local bankers & lawyers live, these people have spent a fortune on houses or apartments then this new run way opens destroying their investment over night,. Also your comment of their being an airport since 1909, yes but it didn't have jets nor was it the largest airport in continental europe, nor did it have these latest heavy super-airliners.
01:25 November 26, 2012 by frankiep
Sometimes I just have to shake my head over what Germans protest about.

So we have thousands of people protesting and who want to prevent any flights from taking off or landing at night because of the noise (forgetting the fact that the locations of airports are not kept a secret from homebuyers).

OK, fine, if you want to prevent modernizing air travel in this country, then at least we can improve rail transportation options by modernizing ancient train stations.

Oh, I forgot, we can't do that either (Stuttgart 21) because the construction is too loud and some trees will have to be cut down.

Good luck keeping up with the rest of the world in the future when any attempts at modernizing transportation options, which will only continue to grow in importance, are stonewalled by short-sighted reactionaries.
10:34 November 26, 2012 by BobbyBaxter
@ blackboot11 - totally agree.

I think some Germans have too much time on their hands.

Bunch of d*ckheads the lot of them......
11:43 November 26, 2012 by raandy
Berlin is the Capital City, and as blackboot -:) has pointed out there are 24 time zones in the world, to restrict air travel as the protesters want is ridiculous.

Either get better windows or move.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Obama in Berlin 2013
Photo: DPA

Nuclear cuts top Obama's Berlin speech

President Barack Obama said Russian and US nuclear weapons should be slashed by up to a third in a keynote speech in front of Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate in which he called for a world of "peace and justice." READ () »

Photo: DPA

Dentist cut off own finger for insurance cash

A German dentist who was so desperate for cash that he cut off his own finger for the insurance money has been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to a year in prison to be served on parole. The man said he was the victim of an attack. READ () »

The Local Zeitgeist
Photo: Kate Ferguson

'Michelle is more popular than her husband'

The Local met a colourful crowd gathered to glimpse First Lady Michelle Obama in Berlin on Wednesday - from the Dutch man who came all the way to Germany to see her, to the commuter annoyed to find his way to work barred by police. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Germany home to one million millionaires

Germany has the third highest population of millionaires of any country in the world, and according to a study released on Wednesday, their piles of gold are growing faster than the world economy. READ () »

The Local’s movie listings
Photo: DPA

New in German cinemas: ‘Monsters University’

Find movies playing in English in Germany with The Local’s cinema guide. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Bahn feels heat as cooling systems fail

With temperatures creeping up into the high thirties on Wednesday Deutsche Bahn said broken air conditioning systems could see train cancellations across the country. The network is still battling to get back on track after the floods. READ () »

Photo: DPA

Centre-left SPD party plummet in polls

It's been a tough few days for Social Democrat chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück. At the weekend he made headlines for crying at a party event and just three months before the election, support for his party is at an all-year low. READ () »

The Local List
Photo: DPA

Six famous American quotes about Germany

Barack Obama follows JFK and Ronald Reagan in his Berlin speech on Wednesday. Can he match being a Berliner or calling for Gorbachev to tear down that wall? The Local List has six other famous US quotes about Germany. READ () »

More National
RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
Highlights
Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: Private Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: wikipedia Photo: Private Photo: Private Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Photo: DPA Monster/jobpilot.de Furniture Leasing Corporation Photo: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se Photo: DPA



Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Sweden

More news from Sweden at thelocal.se

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Jobs in Germany, in English

886 jobs available
582 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Blog
Essentials

Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.

Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.

Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.

Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.

Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

News from the Goethe-Institut
News from Young Germany
  • Germany's Guerilla Knitters
    A tree in a sweater? A statue wearing mittens? A sign post with a scarf? Guerilla knitters are brightening urban spaces in Germany with a new kind of graffiti.
  • The Best of Germany: Städelschule
    At the heart of Frankfurt’s art scene is a school that has attracted many international art students to Germany. The Städelschule has a reputation for a high level of instruction and for nurturing students working at the forefront of conceptual and experimental contemporary art.
  • US President Obama in Germany
    The American President Barack Obama visits Berlin.
  • Hollywood Stars Filming in Germany
    Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Oscar award-winner Geoffrey Rush are making films in and around Potsdam.
  • Design Festival in Berlin
    Creative young designers from around the world showcase their work at the DMY International Design Festival at Berlin’s former Tempelhof airport.
News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Little house in Spain
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Albatross Insurance
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.