The airport in Zurich (archive image). Photo: IMAGO/Steinsiek.ch/IMAGO
What consequences will the extension of the airport runways in Zurich have for southwest Germany? There was a corresponding referendum in Switzerland.
The runways at Zurich Airport can be extended northwards into Germany and westwards. In a referendum in Zurich, the majority of those eligible to vote were clearly in favor of it, as shown by a cantonal projection after counting 109 of 174 municipalities. The trend could no longer tip into a no, it was said. In the afternoon, the canton assumed approval of at least 55 percent.
German district administrators were critical of the project. “There should be no additional burden on the people in the German border region,” demanded district administrators Martin Kistler (Waldshut), Zeno Danner (Konstanz) and Sven Hinterseh (Schwarzwald-Baar) on Sunday. The end of a runway is only around twelve kilometers as the crow flies from the German border.
In Zurich, the cantonal parliament gave the green light for the expansion last year. Opponents, however, called for a referendum. According to the airport, it is all about greater safety in flight operations and thus less aircraft noise caused by late planes in the evening. The government of Baden-Württemberg and other opponents fear an increase in take-offs and landings per hour.
The numbers in detail
Runway 32 to the north, which is now 3,300 meters long, is to be extended by 280 meters. Runway 28, which is currently 2500 meters long, is to be extended 400 meters to the west.
The district administrators therefore again demanded the conclusion of an international treaty with Switzerland. Bern and Berlin have been fighting for this for more than 20 years, with no foreseeable success. This is about distributing the burden in relation to aircraft noise.
“In the opinion of the three districts, the plans for expanding the slopes also require one
“Cross-border environmental impact assessment,” the district administrators said. They also demanded that the German border region be included in the approval process.
2024-03-03 22:20:26
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