Yesterday, DFS and Fraport presented the refined operational concept to representatives of districts, cities and municipalities. This concept forms the basis for the redefinition of the noise abatement zone for Frankfurt Airport, which is currently under review. The basis for this is the traffic volumes expected in the base year 2033. Accordingly, DFS and Fraport are already working on a solution that will ensure safe, stable and sustainable operations in future in view of the forecast traffic growth.

The refined operational concept will be applied from a capacity value of 110 aircraft movements per hour at the latest. This is where the current operational concept will reach its limits. This is already apparent today at peak traffic times, i.e. with a capacity value of 104 movements plus two per hour.

When working on the refined operational concept, both companies are pursuing the goal of adhering as closely as possible to the current concept and minimising the impact of noise in the region. The work is not yet fully complete. All planned measures will be discussed and prepared with the responsible committees and institutions in the coming months. These include the Noise Abatement Commission (FLK), the Hessian Ministry of Transport (HMWVW) and the Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Navigation Services (BAF). DFS and Fraport expect the noise abatement zone to be redefined at the end of 2026.

Refined operational concept: northwest routes are advantageous

To date, aircraft taking off from the central runway have primarily used the southerly bypass, which has been in place since the northwest runway went into operation. In recent years, there have been significant changes to the key framework conditions compared with those in the plan approval procedure for the expansion of Frankfurt Airport. These limit the capacity of the southerly bypass. One example is that take-offs from the central runway via the southerly bypass are not possible independent of take-offs from runway 18. The effects are already reducing the arrival and departure capacity today and would prevent the smooth handling of the expected traffic volumes in future.

Departures in a north-westerly direction show lower dependencies. This is also where modern performance-based navigation (PBN) pays off, as it has 'unravelled' the procedures for missed approaches and take-offs.

The refined operational concept is based on this: It provides for more frequent departures via the northwest departure routes during peak periods. It does not involve any new departure routes. The southerly bypass remains part of the refined operational concept and will continue to be used in hours with lower demand for capacity. The northwest departure routes are already being used during traffic peaks or to comply more reliably with the night curfew.

DFS and Fraport assume that the refined operational concept will be necessary from a capacity value of 110 aircraft movements per hour at the latest. Based on present knowledge, the concept offers the potential to reduce the overall number of people affected by noise in the region compared to the current operational concept and to enable further noise abatement measures.    

The executive boards of DFS and Fraport issue the following statements

"We expect an increase in traffic volume at Frankfurt Airport in the long term," said Dr Pierre Dominique Prümm, Executive Director Aviation and Infrastructure at Fraport AG. "There are already capacity bottlenecks during traffic peaks, when the northwest departure routes are increasingly used. That is why we will need the refined operational concept at the latest when the capacity value of 110 flight movements per hour is reached. Together with our partner DFS, we are creating the basis for safe, stable and sustainable operations in future, taking into account all the requirements of the plan approval for the expansion of the airport. During the refinement of the operational concept, we took great care to keep the deviations from the existing operational concept as low as possible and to minimise the noise impact on the region."  

"DFS supports the growth of Frankfurt Airport. Together, we have examined various options with Fraport. The new operational concept uses existing flight routes and optimises traffic distribution. This allows us to meet safety and capacity requirements while minimising the impact on the surrounding area," said Dirk Mahns, Chief Operating Officer (COO) on the DFS Executive Board. "We are aware that the northwest will see more overflights in future. However, this will enable us to develop air traffic safely, while at the same time looking after the interests of the region," Mahns continued.  

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH  

Presscontact
Ute Otterbein
Phone: +49 (0) 6103 707 4162
E-Mail:  presse@dfs.de