Ten years after it was first proposed, a plan to add a third runway at Munich International Airport was approved following a German federal court decision throwing out a challenge to the project on environmental grounds. The approval clears the way for movement on the project, which has been championed by carrier Lufthansa, but more roadblocks may come from various government agencies that disagree on the next course of action.
This week, the Leipzig Federal Administrative Court rejected an appeal filed by an environmental group called Bund Naturschutz, plus five individual plantiffs, that the plan violated existing environmental constraints and noise control ordinances.
Lufthansa applauded the decision to increase capacity at the airport that is home to its second largest hub, behind Frankfurt. Munich Airport also plans to build a new satellite facility in April 2016, which will be operated jointly by FMG and Lufthansa.
Despite the legal green light, the airport still has hurdles to clear, including popular opinion. The runway plan lost a referendum put before Munich residents back in 2012. Also, the three main government shareholders in the airport – the German federal government, the state of Bavaria and the city of Munich – have not yet agreed on a final plan for the expansion.