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Budapest by night

1,000 EUR fines may curb Budapest night overflights

1,000 EUR fines may curb Budapest night overflights

The money will help people living near Liszt Ferenc Airport to sound-proof their homes

Stopping short of a complete ban, authorities have introduced hefty fines for overflying the Hungarian capital during the night as of October 1, hvg.hu reported. Airlines using more outdated and therefore louder planes are being fined as much as 1,000 EUR, while owners of the least noisy planes have to pay only 10 per cent of the highest fine.

According to the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, such measures will urge air carriers to reduce the number of their flights over Budapest between midnight and 5 am. In the future, planes may only use flight routes over Budapest in emergencies and exceptional cases.

The operator of Budapest Airport is going to spend the money coming in from the fines on a newly-launched noise insulation program. This program helps people who live in the vicinity of Liszt Ferenc Airport, as they are the most affected by the noise of air traffic.

According to airport data, there is an average of five to six flights over Budapest each night. In reality, however, that number can be doubled, as it often happens that an aircraft, which should have arrived before midnight, is running late.

Cargo and military traffic to be moved away from Budapest

The Budapest municipal council initially called for a ban of all air traffic at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport between midnight and 5 am as of August. The proposal, aimed to reduce noise pollution in areas near the airport, has been the subject of talks between the city council, HungaroControl, and the operator of Budapest Airport since this spring. Former Budapest Mayor István Tarlós, who lost his seat to the pro-European centre-left challenger Gergely Karácsony in the October local elections, said during a press conference that the number of noise level monitoring spots around the airport will be increased to 13 from the current 6.

The regulations concerning noise pollution are in force since 1997 and have not been updated ever since.

According to a long-term proposal by the council, all cargo and military traffic will be moved to another airport farther away from Budapest. This will not apply to passenger flights.

 

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