Germany’s Federal Administrative Court has dismissed objections of environmentalists against the construction of a new runway at the Munich Airport.
A Bavarian environmental group, Bund Naturschutz along with five individuals had filed the complaint.
The current law suit was an appeal against the rejection of a similar complaint by local municipalities in February 2014, opposing the construction of a 4km runway near Freising.
The runway would include new taxiways and a third fire station in the Erdinger Moos.
The construction of the new runway is aimed at accommodating growing traffic at the airport and complementing the new terminal slated to open in 2016.
Munich Airport currently serves around 40 million passengers and the numbers are expected to increase to more than 50 million by 2025.
Munich Airport CEO Michael Kerkloh was quoted by Trade Arabia as saying: "Today’s decision means that our construction permit can no longer be contested, which now gives us legal certainty for this vital expansion project.
"Ten years after the launch of the project, the highest German administrative court has now issued a final ruling, stating that our plans meet all relevant requirements in terms of project planning and under the law."
The primary complaint of the plaintiffs was the fear of the increase in noise pollution and the potential damage it could have on nature and on residents living nearby.
While the court’s decision removed a hurdle in the way of the expansion, Reuters noted that the project still faces many obstacles as the airport’s owners, the state of Bavaria, the German Government and the city of Munich were in disagreement over the proposed project.
Image: The airport plans to construct a 4km runway near Freising that would include new taxiways and a third fire station. Photo: courtesy of Flughafen München.
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