A German court has banned night flights at Frankfurt Airport after complaints from residents, dealing a blow to cargo and passenger operations as Germany's largest airport prepares to open a new runway. The ban started on October 30 with the new winter flight schedule, drawing consternation from German airlines at the lack of time in which to alter internationally agreed flight schedules. "To implement such a ban at short notice will have significant economic consequences," a spokesman for Frankfurt-based Lufthansa said. The local state government decided in 2009 to allow 17 movements between the hours of 2300 CET and 0500 CET for the winter schedule, mostly for cargo flights. A night
Lufthansa Cargo in response cancelled 2-3 flights per week, moved some to daytime hours and said some flights to China would now stop for several hours at Cologne/Bonn airport after leaving Frankfurt in the evening, to allow them to leave at night.
The local state government decided to allow the flights on economic grounds, even though the Frankfurt airport operator Fraport had agreed not to push for night flying rights as part of a deal to secure permission for the new runway and adjacent terminal that residents had objected to.
Lufthansa said it was looking into possible legal measures, even though the Hesse court said in its statement no legal recourse was available.
The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig will make a decision on night flights at Frankfurt, Europe's third busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers, at the beginning of 2012 at the latest. Its decision will take precedence over that of the Hesse court.
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