As Zurich airport gets longer runways: Young Greens explore “restriction initiative”

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Soon the excavators will be rolling at Zurich airport. 61.7 percent of Zurich voters said yes to the planned slope expansions on Sunday. The airport promised in advance that the expansion would lead to greater safety and punctuality – not to more flying capacity.

The Young Greens doubt this. In a statement, they said they were considering a “restriction initiative.” This would require a legal upper limit for flight movements and prevent Zurich Airport from increasing flight capacity contrary to all promises. But such a limit of 320,000 flight movements per year already exists, as the ‘NZZ’ writes.

Ten years

The airport wants to extend two runways by 400 and 280 meters respectively. This requires investments of 250 million francs. This would lead to more punctuality – and less noise at night.

But it will be years before the excavators arrive. The airport must first prepare an application for a building permit. The federal government will then have to decide on this.

FDP government councilor Carmen Walker Späh (66) from Zurich expects the planning and construction phase to take about ten years. She seems happy during the vote on Sunday. For the first time in fifty years, the complex piste system can be easily adjusted.

Wrong world

Extending the slopes shifts the sound. Municipalities in the east have to fear about 2,000 extra evening arrivals. That’s exactly where many communities such as Kloten, Bassersdorf and Winterthur said yes. But there are also communities like Turbenthal who said no.

The northern access path, on the other hand, should be relieved and given more peace at night: But those communities apparently do not trust the airport. Communities such as Hochfelden, Bachs and Stadel clearly reject the expansion; all three communities are located in the northern access path and are heavily affected by aircraft noise. (zac)

Source:Blick