Hundreds protest against closure of Bordeaux airport runway
Residents say the closure will see many more planes fly directly over their homes
Mayors and local authorities located along the route of the second runway support its closure
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Almost 400 people protested this weekend against the closure of a runway at Bordeaux airport, with residents saying that the closure means more planes will fly directly over their homes.
Protesters gathered at Bordeaux-Mérignac airport (Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine) on Saturday, September 28.
The protest call came from the Association Eysino-haillanaise de défense contre les nuisances de l'aéroport (AEHDCNA). Residents want the second runway to stay open, as this will - they say - mean they will have a break in the number of planes flying directly overhead.
If the runway closes, the association estimates that 15% of the airport’s current air traffic will be transferred to the main runway, the flight path of which passes over their homes. Already, 85% of the airport’s traffic is routed to the main runway.
The second runway, in contrast, accommodates “one aircraft in ten…which is not insignificant”, said Édouard Quintano, mayor of Saint-Jean d'Illac, which is near Bordeaux.
‘It’s unbearable’
One resident, who has lived in Eysines for 26 years and was present at the protest, told FranceBleu that the increase in low-cost flights had exacerbated the situation considerably, and that closing the second runway would make the problem even worse.
“‘It's exponential and unbearable,” she said. “It's constant background noise, forcing us to close the windows, not being able to invite family or friends into the garden, being woken up at night. We shut ourselves away in our own homes, and it's making us anti-social.”
The residents have now sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport putting forward their case.
Read also: Bordeaux airport: 'Ryanair pulling out was our worst-case scenario'
Report in favour of maintaining second runway
A report commissioned by the government into the issue found in favour of maintaining the runway, said president of the local residents' association Xavier Petit.
The report came from the environment and sustainable Development agency l’Inspection générale de l'environnement et du développement durable (IGEDD). It also said that “removing this runway would cost more than renovating it”, and that having a secondary runway can be useful.
It cited the runway’s “considerable use during the fires of 2022” as an example.
Support for closure
Yet, mayors and local authorities located along the route of the second runway - including the communes of Pessac and Martignas - support its closure.
In a press release, the town of Pessac said that the IGEDD report was “partial and incomplete”, and claimed that closing the second runway would “remove annoyance for 49,300 residents, and increase it for only 2,200 people”.
The decision on whether to close the runway or not has not been definitively confirmed. The government is due to make a decision within two years, after carrying out further studies on its impact.
