Noise and environment protection
The environment protection guidelines of Flughafen Dresden GmbH are as follows: »We take full responsibility for our environment in the operation of the airport. We are always open to the needs of the environment. We use natural resources as sparingly as possible.« Based on these goals, the many aspects of environment protection are taken into consideration in the planning and daily operation of the airport. In particular, a wide range of measures are taken to minimise the negative effects of aviation as far as possible. The focus is on: Noise protection, Water, Protection of natural resources, Energy management and Waste management.
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Noise and environment protection
Noise protection
A number of voluntary measures were taken by Flughafen Dresden GmbH in order to keep noise levels in the vicinity produced by the airport as low as possible.
For example,
- A noise-based fee system was established which favours quiet aircraft and thus motivates the airlines to use more modern, reduced-noise planes
- Euro 2.8 million was made available to fund the implementation of structural noise protection measures in the neighbourhood by the end of 2002.
Water
The following measures were taken to improve water protection and to minimise the pollution levels of the waste water resulting from airport operations:
- Minimisation of precipitation run-off from the runway and apron through the construction of rainwater reservoirs
- Minimisation of the pollution levels in the waste water through the sparing use of environmentally less harmful de-icing agents for aircraft and runway, and by feeding the rainwater polluted with de-icing agent into the public sewage system run by the City of Dresden.
- Reduction of drinking water consumption – construction and operation of a rainwater utilisation system
- Removal of soil contamination from the abandoned airport tank farm
Protection of natural resources
In co-operation with the authorities responsible for the protection of natural resources, the biotopes on the airport area were recorded, and measures for their preservation and care were discussed and agreed.
The extensive on-going construction work and the safety regulations in aviation required several trees to be cut down and a number of green-field areas to be converted. In agreement with the relevant authorities the required compensatory measures have been and will be carried out in two adjoining conservation areas.
»Deutscher Ausschuß zur Verhütung von Vogelschlägen im Luftverkehr« (~ Committee for the prevention of bird strikes in aviation) continued an expert analysis of the biotopes at Dresden Airport in 2004. In addition to an evaluation of the effectiveness of measures already taken, this paper shows a number of measures which would help to avoid or at least to minimise collisions between birds and aircraft. Zones outside the airport site itself have shown to be to most critical areas. Further measures will be examined and implemented there under the lead management of the air traffic authority.
During investigations in the course of the continuation of the expert opinion on the biotopes it was found that the decision to mow the grassland on the airport area only twice a year was a successful one. Thanks to the extensive cultivation (no fertilisers or plant protecting agents used, one to two mowings per year, first mowing not before mid-July) the grassland areas were converted into valuiable biotopes. The existence of long-leaved grass during most of the vegetation period leads to the effect that in particular large birds cannot easily catch sight of their prey, which renders these meadows unattractive as habitats for them. The number of birds as well as the duration and frequency of visits of relevant species continuously decreased in recent years.
- see also: Fuel dumping
- see also: Biomonitoring
Energy management
The airport has a very great demand of energy. To comply with the airport's specific role as a service company, a number of systems and equipment must be available at all times, although the operating company has little influence on the actual use of these systems and equipment, and thus on the efficiency of the energy consumption. Taking these conditions into account, all efforts are taken to minimise the use of energy. An important aspect is the planning of new systems and the replacement of old equipment. With the reconstruction of Hall 224 for the »Technical Services« and its opening in June 1998, an important step was taken towards modernising the facilities. When reconstructing the workshops, attention was paid to energy-saving equipment in line with the actual demand for workshops, warehouses etc.
Another milestone was the opening of the new Dresden Airport Terminal in March 2001. The lastest developments in the fields of lighting and air-conditioning were taken advantage of and were implemented in the planning phase and the construction of the building. Bringing together the many functions an airport has to fulfil into one single modern building contributes to increasing the energy efficiency. The now completed installation of an energy distribution system at Dresden Airport allows the exact amount of energy used by individual consumers to be determined with the help of data processing systems. This makes it possible to analyse energy consumption more precisely and to discuss further measures to save energy in a differentiated way.
Waste management
A waste management concept was drawn up and implemented at Dresden Airport. After analysing the actual situation, possibilities for avoiding, reducing and re-using waste materials were worked out depending on where they occur. The suggestions which were made are now being implemented in practice through a step-by-step plan of measures. The key point of all endeavours in the field of waste management is to achieve continuous reductions in the amount of non-reusable waste. To achieve this, waste is separated into secondary resources and non-reusable waste, and the amount of hazardous waste is minimised by replacing dangerous substances.