Statements from Mainz, Offenbach and Hanau on the segmented approach

At the upcoming meeting of the Frankfurt Aircraft Noise Commission on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, a final discussion and decision on the continuation of the segmented approach from 10 p.m., which has already been tested for four years, is planned. The cities of Mainz, Offenbach and Hanau will make a joint statement on this:

The Segmented Approach is a measure of the "1st package of measures for active noise protection at Frankfurt/Main Airport" from 2011 and the "Alliance for Noise Protection" of the Hessian state government and the aviation industry from 2012. The aim of the Segmented Approach is for aircraft to fly around densely populated residential centers as far as possible, thereby reducing aircraft noise for a large part of the population in the Rhine-Main region. The flight procedure makes it possible to fly around the densely populated cities of Offenbach, Hanau and Mainz as well as other cities in the east and west by guiding approaching aircraft onto the final approach only after they have passed these settlement centers to the south.

The disadvantage of this measure is that, although the fly-around routes avoid direct overflights of municipalities in the surrounding area as far as possible, the shift in flight routes will result in new aircraft noise pollution, albeit not to the same extent.

After weighing up the additional burden in relation to the potential relief provided by the segmented approach and consultation in the Frankfurt Aircraft Noise Commission (FLK), this flight procedure was introduced in 2011 for delayed flights between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and is now predominantly used. A possible extension of the segmented approach for the period after 10 p.m. has been under trial since 2021. Since then, the measure has been continuously improved. The evaluation of the trial operation by the Airport and Region Forum using the Frankfurt Airport Index shows a significant overall noise reduction effect for the region. In addition, noise-optimized alternative routes have now been examined.

"On behalf of the city council of Offenbach, which is heavily affected by aircraft noise, I can only welcome the efforts to consolidate the segmented approach for the period after 10 pm. Of course, the noise-displacing effect must not be disregarded in the overall assessment and consideration. The overall relieving effect must be clearly proven, which is the case," explains Paul-Gerhard Weiß, City Councillor of the City of Offenbach "For the Aircraft Noise Commission, the main task is to examine and evaluate measures with regard to their noise and health effects on the entire region in an open-ended manner. The Aircraft Noise Commission has been practising this approach for decades, and this has of course also been the case with the Segmented Approach," says Weiß, who is also Chairman of the committee.

Janina Steinkrüger, Head of the Environment Department of the state capital Mainz, agrees: "The municipalities in the region must not allow themselves to be divided, as all residents are more or less affected by aircraft noise from Frankfurt Airport. It is good and right that the Aircraft Noise Commission has been acting in unison for years to generally reduce the number of people affected by high levels of noise in the Rhine-Main conurbation. However, the controversial discussions surrounding the segemented approach also show that the best noise protection is a reduction in aircraft movements. The state capital of Mainz therefore continues to call for compliance with the statutory night-time period from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m."

"As the city of Hanau, we support the segmented approach," says Hanau's Lord Mayor Claus Kaminsky, as the accompanying studies show that, despite changes in the number of people affected, the overall impact on the region will be reduced. "The City of Hanau's long-standing demand for compliance with the statutory night-time period from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. continues to be our benchmark."