The German Federal Association against Aircraft Noise (BVf) has a 16-point program to flight movements.
Demands on future air traffic.
Since the restrictions applied during the corona pandemic were lifted or relaxed, air traffic has been trying to return to the growth path it pursued until 2019. The number of flight movements and passengers is increasing, and at the same time the burden on people in the vicinity of airports is increasing. Air transport is the most climate-damaging form of mobility. In recent years, the urgency of avoiding climate-damaging emissions has become even clearer. The members of the Federal Association against Aircraft Noise e.V. are convinced that climate neutrality (European Union 2050, Germany 2045) can only be achieved if air traffic in Germany, Europe and worldwide shrinks.
The substitution of kerosene with Power-to-Liquid (PtL) or other replacement solutions are sham solutions. Only if the number of aircraft movements decreases continuously can the health-damaging aircraft noise and pollution caused by particulate matter be reduced. Active and passive noise reduction as flanking measures alone will not solve the problem. Against this background, the Federal Association against Aircraft Noise (BVF) and its member organizations advocate the following demands:
(1) Elimination of all subsidies, including cross-subsidies and tax breaks for airlines and airports, and elimination of incentive and rebate programs that do not serve sustainable aviation;
(2) inclusion of aviation in the carbon pricing system with full coverage of all climate impacts of aviation;
(3) Significant increase in the noise and pollutant factor as part of the landing fees, especially for nighttime, and a transition to a compensation system, in which the income is used to compensate for the impairments and burden of residents and municipalities indefinitely;
(4) Regular adjustments of the air traffic tax and establishment of an equalization fund for burdens and damages to health and in the social domain caused by air traffic;
(5) Complete phase-out of all short-haul flights, starting with flights under 600 km by 2030; promoting the development of high-speed lines, including cross-border rail transport;
(6) To ensure that unused capacity is not used for other routes, the slots at commercial airports must be reduced by 3% every year;
(7) Remove the privileges of air traffic and include air traffic in the framework of an overall noise load analysis. This requires a fundamental revision of the Aviation Noise Act of 2007 (FluLärmG) and its design incorporating of the recent findings of research on noise effects. The differentiation between expansion, existing and military airports should be abandoned;
(8) Development of noise action plans at all commercial airports with binding noise reduction targets, based on the WHO recommended levels and the obligation of air traffic authorities, airport operators and airlines to comply with them. The German air traffic control (DFS) must be committed to the safe, orderly, low-noise and smooth handling of air traffic;
(9) Introduction of curfews between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at all German airports to protect the sleep of local residents;
(10) Abusive use of slots (e.g. regular violations of night curfews, intentional take-off delays into the night) and the causing avoidable noise must be sanctioned;
(11) All institutions and authorities involved with sovereign tasks in air traffic, in particular Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS) and the Federal Supervisory Office for Air Traffic Control (BAF), wille become specialist planning authorities within the meaning of planning law;
(12) The rights of citizens and municipalities affected by air traffic to participate in decisions are strengthened;
(13) The limit values for NOx and particulate matter are lowered, such that they take account of the health risk level;
(14) For ultrafine Particulate Matter (PM 0.1) European limit values must to be set, based on the recommendations of health science. Until then, the minimization principle applies;
(15) Airports shall be obliged to take measures to reduce UFP emissions “on the ground”;
(16) Aviation fuel suppliers shall be required to ensure that all aviation fuel provided to aircraft operators at any Union airport has a aromatic compound content of not more than 8% and a sulfur content of not more than 10 ppm.
