Abstract: The rapidly growing demand for air transport services is leading to a continuous expansion of air transport infrastructure. In Germany, plans are currently underway to expand the major airports of Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, among others. Such expansion processes are accompanied by fierce protests from people living in the vicinity of the airports, the planning procedures take a lot of time, and once the proceedings have been concluded, the disputes continue before the courts. One project investigated how the very different and sometimes conflicting interests can be balanced. The key factors that emerged were clear guidelines from the government's air traffic infrastructure policy for the development of the airport system, clear specifications for compensation of those affected by aircraft noise, a confidence-building and dialog-oriented information policy on the part of the airport companies and their shareholders, and the use of dialog procedures to accompany the formal planning process.
Involved team members:
Dr. Michael Droß