Rüsselsheim in concern: lawsuit against new aircraft noise alarm!

Rüsselsheim in concern: lawsuit against new aircraft noise alarm!

In Rüsselsheim there is currently plenty of discussion about the segmented approach procedure at Frankfurt Airport, which has been used for late landings after 11 p.m. to 0 a.m. since 2011. This is what the Main-Spitze for some excitement and a lot of conversation taken care of. The city is located under the flight routes and suffers particularly from the noise that is caused by the aircraft in the evening and at night.

The procedure, which has been used in trial operation since 2021 from 10 p.m., leads aircraft in a narrow arc around densely populated areas such as Mainz, Offenbach and Hanau, while the noise pollution may increase in fewer dense regions. Residents in Rüsselsheim, especially in the area north of the railway line and in the Bauschheim district, complain about increasingly louder flight noises.

Legal dispute over noise protection

The situation has now led to 15 municipalities, including Rüsselsheim, have been drawn to court. According to reports from Frankfurter Rundschau an application for interim protection at the Kassel Administrative Court. The complaining cities consider the approach procedure as a violation of the law and are directed against German air traffic control (DFS). Attorney Thomas Mehler emphasizes that the procedure should only be used for the landings of late and not for scheduled approaches.

Numerous measurements of the renowned institute Wölfel Ingenieurs open that the noise pollution in Rüsselsheim has risen by 3.7 decibels during the day and a whopping 12.7 decibels at night. Heusenstamm sees similar things, but "only" suffers from 1.3 decibels during the day and 4.0 decibels at night. This raises the question of whether the procedure really brings the expected noise protection for the relieved cities, especially because more than 42 landings per hour prevent the procedure.

measurements and their meaning

In order to properly grasp the noise, airports are legally obliged to continuously measure it. This is written by the Air Traffic Act and in particular Paragraph 19a. Information service providers such as the aircraft noise portal explain that measurement stations near approach and deployment routes are strategically placed in order to diagnose the loads as precisely as possible. For example, Frankfurt Airport has 29 fixed and 3 mobile measuring stations to monitor the noise loads in detail.

By recording traffic data and its comparison with the sound level measurements, those responsible can gain a better picture of the actual noise situation. Interactive maps and measurement reports show residents how air traffic and the associated noise develop and help planning more effective noise protection measures.

The discussion about aircraft noise also remains a sensitive topic in Rüsselsheim. While the legal conflicts are ongoing, the citizens look forward to developments and hope for solutions that take both air traffic and their quality of life into account.