Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, met with the parliamentary commission on mobility on Thursday morning to present details surrounding the airport’s development. Together, MPs and the minister looked ahead at the airport’s future.
The MPs all agreed on two points: one, that the airport is extremely important for Luxembourg’s economy and two, that developing the airport is difficult to plan ahead. On that note, Bausch maintained that the government is not aspiring to develop the airport in an extreme manner. Nevertheless, it is difficult for the government to direct the airport’s development, especially as the government does not decide which airlines are permitted to depart from and land at the airport. He elaborated that if slots – in this sense, the possibilities to land at Findel – are available, then they must be offered to interested airlines. The business of an airport is above all controlled by the demand. In Luxembourg, there is a great amount of demand for flights, especially as passengers travel from throughout the Greater Region.
MPs also agreed that flying seems to be a popular method of travel, despite the environmental issues associated with air travel — namely the significant carbon footprint. The minister acknowledged this issue and shared his personal view that he does not support short-haul flights travelling less than 1,000 kilometres, with transit being an exception. Instead, Bausch advocates the use of trains throughout Europe.
A further issue surrounding the development of Findel Airport is that the quality of life of those living in the surrounding area must not suffer. Last year there was a total of 2,000 night flights: on average, six flights per night. The minister gave his assurances that the ministry is working on improvements. He cited one example as increasing the fees that airlines must pay in order to land or depart during the night. The hope is that it should become much more expensive to fly at night.
MPs and the minister also discussed the runway renovation which is due to take place. LSAP MP Yves Cruchten maintained that this issue is a long and complicated one, as it would have a significant impact on both passengers and airlines. The airport only has one runway, which is why MPs argued that renovation works should take place over a short time period and at night to least affect air traffic.
