Freising District Administrator Petz continues to fight against the third runway!

Freising District Administrator Petz continues to fight against the third runway!

Things are boiling again in Freising: District Administrator Helmut Petz, an experienced man with a distinguished political history, is vehemently opposed to the construction of a third runway at Munich Airport. The former judge at the Federal Administrative Court is bringing his legal expertise to the fight against the supposed “eternal building right” that was granted for the major project. As the South German newspaper reported, the Freising district has filed a corresponding lawsuit, but the outcome is still uncertain.

“The political commitment against the construction of the runway is a matter close to my heart,” explains Petz, who was unanimously nominated by the Free Voters as a candidate for another term of office. At 68, he sees his work as a district administrator as an opportunity to actively shape things and not just manage. The district administrator previously held important positions in specialist administration and the judiciary, including in the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior and in the State Chancellery. Petz is optimistic about the challenges ahead, such as the restart of the district's own construction and management company for affordable housing and the expansion of renewable energies.

Construction projects under criticism

There is currently a lot of focus on the project of Flughafen München GmbH (FMG), which put the Southern Bavarian Air Authority in a difficult position with its application dated September 30, 2024. According to the decision from the air authority, the planning approval decision for the third runway is uncritical and indefinite, which is particularly supported by environmental associations such as Federal Nature Conservation Association criticized as “technically and politically scandalous”. The general public is also skeptical: a referendum in 2012 showed that 55% of Munich residents voted against the additional piste.

In addition, the FMG is already proposing the first expansions of the airport, including the construction of an S-Bahn tunnel and the expansion of the east apron. According to current flight data, the number of flight movements has changed significantly in recent years. While there is a forecast of 535,000 flight movements for 2020, only 413,000 were actually registered in 2019 and only 302,000 in 2023. Petz therefore sees good chances for the lawsuit and emphasizes that there is no need for a third runway, even if the FMG only wants to clarify the status of the decision mathematically.

Legal disputes and political positioning

The legal disputes are complex. In addition to the district of Freising and the city of Freising, the municipality of Berglern and five affected private individuals have also filed suit. However, the air authority has classified the procedural file as problematic - there is no confirmation of receipt and the involvement of those affected remains unclear. Dr. Christine Margraf, the BN's deputy state representative, is calling for a comprehensive legal review and has announced that the grounds for the lawsuit will be drawn up soon.

However, there has also been progress in politics: The coalition agreement between the CSU and Free Voters initially provided for a moratorium on the runway plans, which was extended after the last state elections in 2023. Prime Minister Markus Söder has assured that there will be no plans for a third runway during his term in office. It remains to be hoped that the Freising district's lawsuit and the voices of the population will be heard in the coming months and bring about a clarifying turn in the INFRASTRUCTURE DEBATE.