Noise Protection

All the aircraft operating at Leipzig/Halle and Dresden airports meet the EU-wide prescribed minimum requirements in relation to their maximum permissible noise emissions. According to them, they must comply with the noise thresholds set in Chapter 3, Annex 16, of the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The take-off and landing fees depend on the relevant noise certification provided for the particular aircraft type. As a result, modern planes, which meet the latest technology standards, pay lower fees than older aircraft, which are automatically louder too. This then gives the airlines an incentive to use aircraft that create less noise. The sliding scale of the fees in line with noise emissions is an important element in our efforts to reduce aircraft noise at our airports.

Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS or Germany’s air traffic control company), which is the planning authority responsible for flight procedures, submits verifiable plans to the Federal Supervisory Office for Air Traffic Control on each occasion when newly introducing intended routes or making changes to flight procedures. The aircraft noise committee according to Section 32b of the Air Traffic Act and the Federal Environmental Agency, with which a so-called consultation process has to be drawn up according to Section 32 Para. 4c of the Air Traffic Act, are also involved in this procedure. It is essential to adequately determine and weigh up all the relevant points of view for the decision as part of the necessary legislative process.  

DFS not only considers the criteria of safety, meeting the capacity requirements and the length of the route, but also the disturbance caused by the aircraft noise right from the time that plans are drawn up for the flight procedures. DFS presents the options that it has prepared to the local aircraft noise committee and the latter assesses them. The results of its deliberations are taken into account during the final consideration and passed on to the BAF with a procedure recommendation.

The BAF uses a careful consideration process to examine whether the suggested draft plans presented by DFS are correct and comply with legislation and forwards them to the Federal Environment Agency at the same time for its comments in order to then submit a final proposed regulation in consultation with this office to the Federal Ministry of Justice; the latter then examines whether it complies with existing law. Once the measure has been successfully examined, the procedures are laid down by the BAF as a legislative decree and are put into effect by publishing them in the Federal Gazette.  

In practice, it is not always possible for aircraft to precisely fly along the prescribed arrival and departure routes. This may be because of the wind or weather situation or the aerophysical characteristics of the individual aircraft types. The flights paths are surrounded by so-called expected flight corridors. They are normally no more than 100 m wide, particularly after take-off. The further and higher an aircraft travels away from the airport, the wider they become. Any departure from the ideal flight path does not represent an administrative offence, provided that it takes place within the expected flight corridor that has been laid down.

It is not permissible for pilots to fly aircraft to the airport and just depend on a visual approach.

Only aircraft that have instrument-guided navigation facilities are allowed to fly to our airports. To do so, the aircraft have to line up with the basic approach route 20 km away from the airport. This ensures that planes do not approach the area close to the airport from the side.

Leipzig/Halle Airport has built a jet engine testing facility to offer protection from the noise of engines when they are undergoing tests. Aircraft up to the size of an Antonov AN 124 or an Airbus A 380 can use the building.

The jet engine testing building was rebuilt in 2022 in order to significantly increase the availability of the building, which was commissioned in 2008. This work has improved the air flow conditions in the building so that it can still be used in future, even if the wind conditions are unfavourable.