1,554 night flights in 2014

(CS) Over 1,500 flight landed and took off from lux-Airport in Findel during night time hours last year, with François Bausch pledging on Tuesday to decrease the number by 5 percent.

Statistics published by aviation authorities show that the number of flights departing and arriving at Findel airport increased by 62 between 2013 and 2014, a rise that reflects the general increase in traffic at the airport.

Night flights represented only around 1.85 percent of all traffic at the airport, well below the European average of around 10 percent.

Less than a third of the flights operating between 11pm and 6am were passenger flights.

Although there is a general night flight ban, exceptions can be requested in advance by aviation authorities. Additionally, in emergencies or when flights are delayed, planes can land outside of the regular hours.

5 percent decrease

Despite the increase in night flights last year, the number of permits issued in advance by aviation authorities for scheduled late arrivals and departures actually decreased last year.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Infrastructure Minister François Bausch said that he wants to lower the number of night flights by 5 percent of the average of the three previous years.

However, he also pointed out that prohibiting all night flights was impossible, especially when delays are caused by bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Lux-Airport directly and indirectly creates around 26,000 jobs, he commented, highlighting the airport's importance to the Luxembourg economy.

Especially in the area of logistics, Luxembourg hopes to continue building a reputation of a central European hub with air, road and rail transport access. Freight airline Cargolux, in which the state is a shareholder, also plays a part in this plan. A recently opened Freeport free trade zone near the airport is aimed at strengthening the Grand Duchy's position in the transport and storage of valuable goods.

Statistics online

Bausch also pointed out that Luxembourg is the only country charging airlines for noise pollution as part of the polluter pays system. Airlines with more modern aircraft and less noisy aircraft thereby pay fewer fees. Night flight arrivals and departures also cost extra.

A better organisation of landing approaches is set to shorten the time planes spend on hold in skies. Additionally, new EU noise pollution regulation is expected to have an impact at Findel too. Bausch said that related measures would be presented in due course.

Until then, he wants the topic of night flights to become more transparent, with statistics published via the ministry's website and more frequent press conferences on updates related to the issue.

To consult the night flight data, click here.