The corona pandemic is likely to have been in the interests of the airport opponents in terms of noise and flight movements. With the increase in traffic, the critics are now speaking again.

The citizens' platform SOS Ostregion wrote an open letter to the Governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, demanding, among other things, a nocturnal flight ban for Vienna-Schwechat Airport. The current situation is that this airport is open around the clock.

The citizens' initiative writes, among other things, that the residents of the surrounding communities feel abandoned by the state government. The noise distribution between Vienna and Lower Austria would continue to be uneven.

“Vienna Airport wants the number of flights back to the level of 2019 as soon as possible. This is not only incompatible with the climate targets. It's also about our health. In 2019 there were around 75.000 take-offs and landings between 19pm and 6am, of which over 24.000 between 22pm and 6am - on average that means: 66x noise horror per night! Our despair from too many hours of night disturbed by aircraft noise is great. We no longer allow ourselves to be delegated to subordinate citizens' offices and dialogue forum, ”reads the open letter.

It is pointed out that the night flight regulation would be out of date according to the current scientific status and trust in the dialogue forum, which is financed by Flughafen Wien AG, has been lost. Among other things, it can be read: "The actors sent there by the state of Lower Austria are obliged to the owner and you are its chief representative."

"We urge you: finally get your hands on a complete night-flight ban for scheduled flights from 21pm to 7am at Vienna Airport! Please take your responsibility as Governor of Lower Austria seriously - for the benefit of our health, ”concludes the open letter.