The federal government now wants to grant subsidies to the corona-stricken airports.
(Photo: dpa)
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Berlin At German airports there is one thing above all in these difficult Corona times: empty. The number of passengers has collapsed almost unprecedented. The economic pressure on the airports has increased immensely, the industry sees thousands of jobs threatened. In this situation, the federal government wants to support airports in which the federal government is not involved.
The airports are to receive one-off non-repayable grants. This emerges from a submission by the Ministry of Finance to the Bundestag budget committee, which is available to the Handelsblatt. Specifically, it is about a federal sum of 200 million euros for the airports in Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Erfurt, Frankfurt / Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Münster / Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Saarbrücken and Stuttgart.
The prerequisites for the support of the federal government are that the respective federal states make a subsidy of the same amount, no dividends are distributed for 2020 and no bonuses are paid to managing directors and board members of the operating companies.
With the aid of a total of 400 million euros, the federal and state governments are assuming around half of the so-called reserve costs in order to keep the airports functional, which according to the Airport Association ADV amounted to around 740 million euros in the period from March to June 2020.
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The assistance is justified with a “transport policy interest”, as it is called in the ministry bill. There is thus a “supra-regional importance for the air traffic infrastructure” in Germany. “Without state support for the airport companies, there is a risk of irreversible damage to the connection of entire regions to air traffic and to Germany as a business location.”
It is therefore in Germany’s economic and social interest to support the airports mentioned as “essential transport infrastructure”. The funds should now be made available “promptly”.
Greens: Make money conditional
The Greens head housekeeper, Sven-Christian Kindler, accused the responsible federal ministers, Andreas Scheuer (CSU, Transport) and Olaf Scholz (SPD, Finance), of setting wrong priorities.
“As with the Lufthansa-Deal want to distribute tax money with the cornucopia of the Union and SPD and thereby make no conditions for climate protection, noise protection, the participation of private shareholders or to secure jobs, ”Kindler told the Handelsblatt. “That is an irresponsible way of dealing with tax money and fueling the climate crisis.” It is also “completely incomprehensible” why the dividend and bonuses only apply for 2020 and not for several years.
The most important airports that receive support also include Berlin / Brandenburg, Cologne / Bonn and Munich airports, where the federal government is co-owner. Aid of over 400 million euros is planned here.
The federal government also wants to support smaller airports in 2021 with 20 million euros in air traffic control fees. In addition, the federally owned Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) will receive an equity injection of 300 million euros in 2021.
More: The need for the airports is growing – and there is still no financial aid.
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