We'll examine the limitations on nighttime flights at four of Germany's largest airports today. The majority of airports close their operations at night, therefore Germany is not the only country having limits on nighttime flights. This is so because many airports are situated in populated areas where individuals trying to sleep may be disturbed by airplanes taking off and landing.
Germany is not the only country with long-standing bans on most aircraft's ability to take off and land at night or in the early morning hours. Here are the limitations imposed at Germany's busiest airports in light of that.
With 48,923,474 passengers handled at Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) in 2022, it is Germany's busiest airport. Frankfurt Airport has restrictions for both day and nighttime travel because it is Germany's preferred airport for international flights.
Only during the hours of 08:00 to 20:00 on weekdays may Frankfurt Airport be used by aircraft that do not comply with noise regulations. Although it is open every day of the week, Frankfurt Airport is closed between the hours of 23:00 and 0:500. Only 133 takeoffs and landings are allowed in the early morning between 05:00 and 0:600 and the late evening between 22:00 and 23:00. Additionally, Frankfurt Airport closes several of its runways in order to use others that avoid densely populated regions.
Munich
The areas of Bavaria in southern Germany are served by the Munich International Airport (MUC). The second busiest airport in the nation, Munich Airport welcomed 47,959,885 passengers prior to the epidemic in 2019. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Chapter 3 noise guidelines are the only ones that are accepted by Munich Airport for night flights.
Only 28 aircraft are allowed to land or take off each day between the hours of 10:00 and 12:00 and 05:00 and 06:00. They must also fulfill one of the requirements listed below:
establish a base at the airport of Munich
possess a sound footprint that is no more than 75 dB.
Berlin
Since Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) opened in October 2020, there has been a midnight–5:00 flight curfew. Only 31 aircraft movements are allowed between 5:00 and 6:00 and between 23:00 and 24:00. Third-busiest airport in Germany, BER will see 19,845,046 passengers in 2022.
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which serves the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, will handle 16.07 million passengers in 2022, ranking it as Germany's fourth busiest airport. DUS prohibits takeoffs and landings between 22:00 and 23:00 and between 23:30 and 06:00.
Leipzig
The fifth-busiest cargo airport in Europe is Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ), which is situated in Schkeuditz, Saxony. Leisure airlines are permitted to fly on LEJ throughout the summer, but they are not permitted to take off or land between 23:30 and 05:30. unlike flights for people. There are no limitations on cargo airplane operations at night.
the waiver from nighttime flight restrictions
There are always exceptions to the rule, and nocturnal flights are permitted in the following circumstances:
A flight was diverted due to weather
aircraft experiencing mechanical issues
aircraft for reasons of health or safety
Disaster flights and evac flights
flights that require a specific permit
It has gotten more expensive to fly to and from Germany
The German government has recently promoted train travel as an alternative to flying for its inhabitants. They have increased airport fees and subsidized train costs to do this.
Germany is now one of the priciest countries to fly to or from as numerous low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and easyJet, have reduced their operations there due to rising costs.
