A new ministerial decree has been in force at Basel-Mulhouse Airport since February 1, 2022, which contains additional noise reduction measures. The management draws a positive balance after the first month.

Among other things, the new regulations stipulate that no scheduled take-offs should be carried out between 23 p.m. and midnight. Furthermore: Ban on take-offs and landings of particularly loud aircraft (Chapter 00 with a noise margin of less than 3 EPNdB (Effective Perceived Noise Decibel)) in the night hours between 13 p.m. and midnight and between 22 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The new decree marks an important step in the airport's noise reduction strategy. The first balance sheet since the new decree came into force is as follows:

• From February 1 to February 28, 2022 there were no scheduled take-offs after 23 p.m.
• From February 1st up to and including February 28th, 2022 there were 7 delayed starts after 23pm. The French civil aviation authority DGAC is currently investigating whether these delays are the responsibility of the respective airline or not.

According to the operating decree, delayed departures after 23 p.m. are permitted in the event of delays for which the airline is not responsible. The issue of eligibility will first be reviewed by the DGAC and, if necessary, referred to the independent agency ACNUSA for a final assessment. ACNUSA's decision on the legality of the delayed departures and any sanctions imposed on the airline concerned will be made afterwards. For additional information, the airport publishes a table of cases referred to ACNUSA on WebReporting (Rule Violations subsection). The overview of departures after 23 p.m. can also be viewed in WebReporting.

Since the new decree came into force on February 1, 2022, starts in the second hour of the night have decreased significantly (-89% compared to the previous year and -91% compared to 2019), the effect on noise pollution after 23 p.m. is positive. Due to a technical problem, some departures that were newly scheduled before 23 p.m. were still displayed after 23 p.m. on the EuroAirport website. This issue is currently being resolved.

The airport will continue to monitor noise developments closely in order to be able to identify possible negative developments at an early stage and act accordingly.