- Dortmund airport confronts legal action from OVG.
The Higher Administrative Court in North Rhine-Westphalia (OVG) is set to revisit a case filed by locals of the Dortmund airport at 10:00 AM, concerned about expanding its operations into the night. Neighbors in Dortmund and Unna have been vocal about inadequate soundproofing for over a decade now. Since 2014, when the Münster Regional Government issued a permit, residents, Unna city, and the airport have engaged in numerous legal battles over this issue.
Notably, on January 26, 2022, the OVG ruled that the supervising authority's permit was illegitimate. Despite this, they did not rescind the permit but instead offered an opportunity for the parties to rectify the issues in a subsequent process.
As of now, the city of Unna is no longer part of the lawsuit. The original five resident plaintiffs have dwindled down to three. The revised lawsuit targets the 2nd amended permit issued by the Münster Regional Government, dated June 9, 2023. This permit allows the airport to extend its operations beyond 22:00 under specific conditions, aiding airlines in linking up with major hubs and optimizing scheduling and equipment use on European routes, as argued by the airport.
Expected Decision Date from 2022
The residents, now three in number, argue that the 2nd amended permit, issued in 2023, continues to overlook the issue of inadequate soundproofing, which is a concern shared with other nearby communities. Despite the dispute, the airport insists that extending operations beyond 22:00 will benefit multiple airlines, providing better connections to major hubs.
