Frankfurt Airport is moving toward a revised operating concept that would send more Center Runway departures toward the northwest on westbound traffic days, shifting noise from the south to the Taunus corridor. The package was presented to the regional flight noise commission in Raunheim and is now moving into the next review stage.
The change does not create new routes; it reallocates existing departure procedures. That means more exposure for Flörsheim and Hattersheim-Eddersheim, while Rüsselsheim and Nauheim would see some relief. The draft also adds operating limits for the northwest sector, including no departures before 06:00 and, if possible, none before 07:00.
Fraport and DFS developed the concept against a traffic forecast that points to roughly 560,000 movements by 2033, with the current approval framework still allowing up to 701,000. Further scrutiny now shifts to DFS and the Federal Supervisory Office for Air Navigation Services.