It was the same again this week: The noise levels are increasing around the airport in comparison to last year’s levels. The environment committee decided unanimously on recommending a resolution to the city council in Hennef, which would be to prohibit an extension of the night flight clearance beyond 2030 before the current plan approval procedure is finalised.

Also the committee unanimously agreed with the proposal of the CDU to invite a responsible airport employee in charge to the next presentation of the aircraft noise report. Six monitoring sites are in place in total, three are owned by the noise protection association, one was sponsored by the Green Party in Hennef and two are owned by the airport management.

42,406 night flights were registered between 10pm and 6am in 2017. „Five percent more than 2016, and 17 percent more than 2014“, says Schumacher. The number of flights between midnight and 5am increased the most - with 26,816 planes, which is an increase of 7.3 percent in comparion to the previous year.

With 7,705 passenger planes in 2017, there is increase in that segment of 6.7 percent as well. „This undesirable development shows once again that the promise by former airport manager Michael Garvens to regulate the flights at night through an accordingly designed schedule of fees has failed miserably“, says Schumacher. In Frankfurt, a take-off or landing of an MD 11 between 11pm and 5am costs an additional 3512 Euro.

Düsseldorf even charges a whopping 46,450 Euro between 10pm and 11.59pm (for flights after midnight: 49,000 Euro). „Cologne/Bonn seems to be wanting to attract more of these extremely loud MD 11 flights by only charging 925 Euro“, Schumacher criticises, calling that concept a „flawless propaganda trick“. According to Schumacher, aircraft noise evidentially causes physical illnesses, with over 40 percent of the men and 48 percent of the women in Hennef having a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases due to the noise.

The noise protection association has achieved that apron A won’t be extended without a plan approval procedure. But the prospect of lowering the noise levels is slim, according to Schumacher. Through well-informed sources the association heard from the freight companies in Cologne/Bonn airport that the NRW government plans to extend the 24-hour flight air traffic until 2050. The airport did not confirm this. „We have no information in this matter“, said airport spokesperson Alexander Weise when interviewed by the General-Anzeiger on Thursday. Original text: Ingo Eisner Translation: Mareike Graepel