20,700 households at BER: Entitlement to aircraft noise compensation
Around 20,700 households around BER Airport are entitled to noise protection or financial compensation for aircraft noise. This corresponds to almost 80 percent of the 26,500 homes located in the noise protection area around the airport on the outskirts of Berlin. In total, Flughafengesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg (FBB) has processed around 21,800 applications for construction measures or compensation, according to the Ministry of Transport in Potsdam in response to a question from the Green Party parliamentary group.
According to the report, around 13,150 households are entitled to construction measures such as noise protection windows, while almost 7,600 receive financial compensation amounting to 30 percent of the market value of their home. In around 1100 cases, no measures were found following an on-site inspection in the vicinity of Germany's third-largest airport. Of the 26,500 households affected by aircraft noise, around 3900 have not applied for noise protection.
With the 21,800 applications that FBB has processed, it considers its obligation from the planning approval in terms of noise protection to have been fulfilled, explained the ministry. Applications for noise protection and compensation can still be submitted until November 2025.
According to the answer to the Green Party's question, 61 lawsuits have been filed against FBB to date. FBB has prevailed in 35 proceedings and partially prevailed in two proceedings. The airport company was unsuccessful in six cases and the legal dispute ended with a settlement six times. In six cases, the complaints from residents were withdrawn and seven cases are still open.
According to the ministry, compensation claims have generally been settled quickly. In contrast, the structural noise protection measures are at a relatively low level. However, this does not indicate that FBB has systematically failed to implement the noise protection requirements.
According to the airport operator, around 473 million euros had been spent on noise protection by September of this year. Around 70 million euros were spent on construction measures and around 298 million euros were used to compensate homeowners. The remaining funds were used to finance compensation and ancillary construction costs.
The implementation of aircraft noise reduction measures at BER Airport is not only beneficial for the entitled households but also contributes to the overall improvement of the airport's environmental impact on the surrounding environment. Despite the high number of processed applications for noise protection and compensation, some households around the airport have yet to apply for such measures.
Air traffic at BER Airport poses an ongoing challenge in terms of managing aircraft noise, with the airport spending significant funds on noise protection measures and compensations to affected households.
Source: www.dpa.com
