DPWN Troubled by Frankfurt Airport Plan
The planned expansion of Frankfurt airport is causing a major headache for Deutsche Post AG, the German post office. Deutsche Post has been using night flights at Frankfurt airport for 40 years, and 9 million letters are transported through the airport every night between 11pm and 1.30am, with twelve aircraft bringing in and taking out post to different parts of the country. However, this system is now at risk. As part of a mediation process concerning the proposed construction of an additional runway at Frankfurt airport, consideration is being given to reducing noise pollution despite increased traffic volumes, by banning night-time flights at the airport. The new runway will not be built until 2006 at the earliest, giving Deutsche Post plenty of time to find an alternative, such as flights to the nearby Hahn airport. However, Deutsche Post is resisting the changes, having recently invested several hundred million D-marks at Frankfurt in expectation of a long-term partnership
