Balance 2015 ENG

Flying more quietly: The vortex generators produce an air flow in front of the fuel-tank pressure equalization vents that effectively prevents sounds of an unpleasant frequency. one year, is to see if the noise reductions occur as forecasted and if punctuality in flight operations can be maintained. With this joint voluntary agreement, airport, air traffic control, airlines, aviation associa- tions and the state government of Hessen intend to further reduce the burden of noise emissions from flight operations at the Frankfurt hub on people living close by. The “Alliance for noise breaks” comple- ments the “Alliance for noise protection” agreed in 2012 (see page 88, Balance 2013 and page 87, Balance 2012). At that time, the state government of Hessen and representatives of the aviation industry jointly defined a number of innovative measures to protect people living near the airport from aircraft noise. This includes the retrofit of the A320 aircraft with vortex generators and phasing out the Boeing 737 aircraft, planned to be completed by mid-2016. At the beginning of 2015, more than 50 percent of these aircraft had already left the fleet. on September 3, 2014. For the first time, GBAS makes satellite-supported precision approaches possible at an international hub airport in Europe. Over the mid- and long-term, this system opens up opportuni- ties for the development of a myriad of new approach routes that will further reduce noise exposure. Beyond that, the state government of Hessen and the aviation industry have agreed the voluntary introduction of noise respites in an “Alliance for noise pauses”. Accordingly, Lufthansa, Fraport and DFS have implemented a seven-hour noise pause at Frankfurt Airport since April 23, 2015. During west-wind operations, some runways are not used between 5 and 6 a.m. and between 10 and 11 p.m., giving up to 40,000 people living east of the airport a respite from aircraft noise. Frankfurt is the first international hub airport to have intro- duced a noise pause in addition to the six-hour curfew for night flights. Experts at the Lufthansa Group made a significant contribution to the development of this concept. The trial operation, which will last these cavities prevent the generation of these sounds. Together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Lufthansa develo- ped such parts for the first time and tested them successfully. When the refit kits became available from Airbus in fall 2014, Lufthansa – again as the first airline – star- ted updating its existing fleet. Of these 150 aircraft, 100 had already undergone the refit by end of June 2015. Thanks to this innovation, more than 200 Lufthansa aircraft will fly even more quietly in the future. Equipping these aircraft with vortex generators is one of the most com- prehensive voluntary measures in the area of active noise protection by the Lufthansa Group, lessening the burden in particular on people and towns near the large hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. Improved procedures for approach and takeoff phases New noise-reducing procedures for approach and takeoff as well as changed flight routings have also contributed over the past year to lighten the burden on people near airports. A new precision approach system, the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS), promises further improvements in Frankfurt, where Lufthansa, Fraport and Deutsche Flug- sicherung (DFS) officially inaugurated it Sustainability Report Balance // Issue 2015 // Lufthansa Group // 55

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