Expanding airport capacity under constraints in large urban areas

This paper analyses how German airports have extended capacity. Airport expansion led to conflicts firstly in the sixties. These accelerated in the eighties and are expected to remain in the future, particularly in Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart. These conflicts have led to long planning processes (including mediation), demonstrations and court decisions but remained unresolved for many stakeholders. While capacity has not been increased as fast as initially planned, it has been increased substantially at all busy airports, sometimes at high costs like in Frankfurt with the removal of chemical plant and in Berlin with cost overruns of more than two billion. The paper argues that the current planning system has led to avoidable transaction costs and to a too costly and inefficiently used infrastructure with avoidable environmental costs. It discusses the pro and cons of reform proposals such as an independent planning authority separated from the owners of airports, open and transparent planning process, compensation of directly negative effected citizens, mandatory Cost Benefit Analysis, market based environmental policy and reforming the organisational structure of the German airport industry.

Expanding Airport Capacity in Large Urban Areas

Expanding airport capacity under constraints in large urban areas

the German experience