Leipzig/Halle Airport is making further efforts to reduce ground noise emissions for its residents. The modernization of the engine test hangar at the airport began on Monday.

The aim of the conversion is to significantly increase the availability of the noise protection system that went into operation in 2008, as it cannot be used in unfavorable wind conditions. To do this, the flow conditions in the hall must be improved, which are necessary for a trouble-free test run of the engines. The construction project is scheduled to last eight months and will cost 2,5 million euros. Several cargo airlines are based at the airport, which maintain maintenance bases for their aircraft fleets. Between 250 and 290 engine tests are required every year as part of aircraft maintenance. To date, around 80 percent of the necessary test runs have been carried out in the engine test run hall. For technical reasons, the remaining tests had to be carried out outdoors during the day. At night, outdoor test runs are excluded.

The hall will not be available for test runs during the conversion. Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG therefore applied to the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport (SMWA) for a special permit for engine test runs outdoors. As the highest aviation authority in Saxony, the SMWA approved this application under strict conditions. This is to ensure that this investment in noise protection can be made while maintaining airport operations and that the impact on the surrounding area can be kept to a minimum.

In coordination with the SMWA and the aircraft noise protection officer, engine test runs at night between 22 p.m. and 00 a.m. are limited to a maximum of five tests per month. In justified cases, these exceptions must be applied for individually by the airlines. The criteria for approval include unforeseeable repair work to maintain flight safety or a necessary repair of sudden damage such as a bird strike.