Berlin Senate confirms referendum on Tegel Airport closure, urges opposition

Germany's Berlin Senate confirmed (04-Jul-2017) plans for a "Yes/No" referendum on Berlin Tegel Airport remaining open on 24-Sep-2017. The Senate opposes the notion for the following reasons:

• More noise if both Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Tegel are forced to operate together, rather than only concentrating operations at Brandenburg. The Senate expects noise reductions for up to 300,000 people should Tegel be decommissioned;
• EUR400 million in sound insulation investment should Tegel continue to operate;
• EUR1 billion investment required to renovate and replace "technical" airport infrastructure at Tegel after the end of 2018;
• EUR100 million lost to inefficient airport operations. [more - original PR - German]