26.01.2012
Munich to vote on the third runway on June 17
Can a third runway be built at Munich Airport? This is the central question that will be answered by Munich’s citizens on June 17 later this year. On this day, people eligible to vote will get the chance to go to the polls and decide on the enlargement of Munich's Airport. The referendum is taking place because Munich city is one of the three shareholders of Munich Airport and its approval is needed when it comes to decisions such as extensions and enlargements. Additionally, the local branch of the Green party, opposed to the entire plan, has initiated a petition for a referendum on their own. Opposing them, the ruling parties of SPD, CSU and FDP have progressively pushed for a referendum wanting to give all Munich citizens the chance to have their say on a central aspect of Munich’s economic and infrastructural future.
That vote is said to be central to the future of Munich Airport, no matter what the outcome of the ongoing process at the Higher Administration Court where people have brought their complaints about the building of the runway to trial. If Munich says YES, this success story can continue. In this case, our airport will keep on growing, further improving economic strength and creating new jobs. For instance, a single long-haul aircraft leads to 200 additional jobs wherever the aircraft is based at. And since aircraft at Munich Airport cannot be fuelled or serviced in Hungary or the Czech Republic, these jobs are firmly bound to Munich.
Yet there are a lot more advantages to building a third runway: the airport’s capacity would promptly increase and lead to a shrinking of waiting loops, there would be an improvement in flight security and there would be a significant increase in flights that are on time. Moreover, the third runway not only creates new direct connections but secures current flight routes. With that our airport would take center stage within the infrastructure and would face a bright future. This all goes to show the pivotal importance of the expansion of the airport for both Munich and Bavaria alike.
