Germany’s Small Airports at Risk: Aviation Authorities Seek to Ban New Wind Turbines

Public statements that cannot be rationally understood send our imaginations into conspiratorial fantasies. That is what happened to me with Federal Document 108/24, with which the Bavarian state government wants to change air traffic law. In the future, aviation authorities have the right to prohibit the construction of new wind turbines to be built. My first thought: “Bayern wants revenge as the rest of the republic continues to appear at the bottom of the class when it comes to building wind turbines.” – No, that can’t be true!”

My second comment: “Following recent clear statements, including the infamous statement made by its president on Ash Wednesday against the Green Environment Minister, the CSU is now ask to keep the option of a coalition with the Greens open with this gift. – No, I don’t think so at all!” My last comment: “The Bavarian state government is already starting the election campaign and wants to be a pioneer in the request that it announced all party for an immediate and massive reduction in bureaucracy.”

Wrong decisions can be corrected

With such a change to the Air Traffic Act, it is likely to raise questions about the decentralized airports in Germany. And, in my opinion, opportunities for future action are lost. First, two arguments against my “conspiracy fantasies”: Airfields are known to have on average about 60 percent open space that would be available for energy generation, for example through photovoltaics.

They could not only be electricity suppliers, but also decentralized producers of hydrogen and sustainable fuel (SAF). Whatever type of energy climate-friendly aircraft need in the future, our airports could provide it. A large number of our airfields are home to businesses that require energy in addition to the runway. Here too, the airfields could take on a useful double function. In addition to connecting to the air traffic network, they also provide the appropriate energy source.

Wrong decisions can be corrected

Why do we need airfields for successful future management? Unlike all land-based modes of transport, decentralized aviation has almost no climate impact due to the construction and maintenance of infrastructure and yet has abstract connections: with only 200 airports there are 19,900 possible destinations. There are approximately 900 to 1,000 airports in Germany – that corresponds to over 499,000 possible destinations. Any resilience strategy, whether through war or climate disasters, will require this strategic infrastructure.

But we need them above all to solve our growing mobility needs. Assuming climate-friendly flight (e.g. the move to hydrogen fuel cells or power to fluids and so on, at lower altitudes), not only will urbanization processes that divide reduce society, but overall mobility needs can be met.

Wrong decisions can be corrected

The decentralized airfields already enable a large number of essential flights for public services that cannot be realized otherwise. At the same time, they are an important economic factor for our medium-sized companies and the individual sectors that are far from metropolitan areas. I’ll save any further arguments here. Fortunately, in a democracy, wrong political decisions can also be corrected.

Ulrich Stockmann is a freelance columnist for aeroTELEGRAPH. From 1989 to 2009 he was a member of parliament in the Chamber of the People, the Bundestag and the European Parliament. Since then he has worked for aviation organizations. The opinion of freelance columnists does not necessarily agree with the opinion of the editorial team.