Frankfurt Airport risks losing international competitiveness – Lufthansa will provide further evidence of the need for night flights at Frankfurt in the course of the proceedings.
The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled today that the night-flight regulation defined in the planning approval notice cannot be sustained. This means that the ban on night flights from Frankfurt will remain in force until further notice. Lufthansa fears severe long-term adverse affects for Frankfurt’s position as an aviation centre. Christoph Franz, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, points out, “Frankfurt, Hesse, and yes, even Germany, as an export and logistics nation, would have their wings clipped. This is a terrible blow to Germany’s reputation as a place to do business and there is no doubt that one of Europe’s largest hubs will fall behind in international competition.” “Nonetheless, in the additional planning procedure Lufthansa will again make the need for selected night-time flights clear,” emphasised Franz. Lufthansa was not given leave to appeal in the current proceedings. The ruling by the Federal Administrative Court allows the airline to justify the need for night flights directly in further proceedings.
Source: Lufthansa
