Gernot Schmidt, District Administrator of Märkisch-Oderland, comments on the outcome of the Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Traffic Control's assessment of the flight routes:
"I believe that sticking with the Müggelsee route as a result of the weighing-up process is wrong. The Müggelsee route is and remains problematic - and the fact that the Federal Supervisory Authority is following the proposal of German Air Traffic Control here continues the undemocratic process of determining flight routes. Due to the late disclosure of the actual planned routes, people are now affected who were entitled to assume that they would not be affected by aircraft noise. In its statement, the Federal Environment Agency had presented an alternative proposal that would have at least partially relieved the region.
My second point of criticism is also confirmed: The specifications for the approach routes fall short of our expectations. Together with the communities of Neuenhagen bei Berlin and Hoppegarten, we have submitted a motion to the next Aircraft Noise Commission to obtain further details on the approach routes. Our key demands remain the examination of the technical possibilities for increasing the minimum approach altitudes and the significant shortening of the long approach corridors over our region.
I will continue to strongly advocate that the flight routes that have now been defined be reviewed for their effectiveness. I therefore expressly support the proposal to evaluate the existing routes shortly after they go into operation, also in view of the predicted further increase in flight volumes.
Background: The district of Märkisch-Oderland is particularly affected by the radar guidance routes used for landing in westerly winds (approx. 2/3 of the year). Over a length of more than 50 kilometres at altitudes between 900 and 1,200 metres, the incoming aircraft are first guided in a back straight to the Oderbruch and then on approach through almost the entire district to the BER runways.
Seelow, 26 January 2012