Residents of the resort town of Balatonalmádi have started collecting signatures to protest against a planned new airport on the north shore of Lake Balaton to be opened in 2010, reports Népszabadság. The plot was donated to the two towns of Veszprém and Szentkirályszabadja by the state in 2006 and immediately sold on to investor Budawest Zrt, which has British, American and Hungarian owners, with the two towns receiving Ft 500 million (over €1.9 million) each. Residents of Balatonalmádi, who were excluded from the deal but live directly beneath the planned flightpath, are now protesting against the plans, despite the obvious economic benefits of a nearby conference center, logistics facility, hotel and technology park.
According to the plans, which have been in place for some time, departing and landing airplanes would all fly over Balatonalmádi. Landing planes would travel no higher than 200 to 500 meters above buildings, as the border of the lakeside town is only three kilometers from the runway. Mayor János Keszey said that since 2006, they have informed the governments of Veszprém and Szentkirályszabadja and the company building the airport on several occasions that they would not consent to planes using the air space above their town. Residents said they are worried about “noise, dust and vibration” which may also have a negative effect on the town’s tourism. They also pointed out that while the benefits of the new airport will be reaped by other towns in the region, Balatonalmádi will only experience the disadvantages.
Csaba Ciráki, a representative of Budawest Zrt, told the paper that the town’s residents have nothing to fear, as strict environment protection laws will ensure they do not receive permits for the project if it poses a threat to residents. He also said that changing the direction of the runway is not possible, as it is determined by wind direction and terrain.
Keszey said the town would do everything in its power to force the investor to change the direction of the runway.
1) Economic benefits of the airport are not “obvious” as the article itself cites benefits of other facilities and not that of the airport. Expected economic benefits for Balatonalmádi and other municipalities in the North-Eastern Balaton microregion are marginal. No economic cost-benefit studies have been disclosed (or have not been prepared at all?) to the public.
2) The plans of the airport describing the flight paths (right over Balatonalmádi) have been disclosed for the very first time in July, 2008, when the Environmental Authority (EA) made the “Preliminary Study” documentation open for public comment. Therefore, it is not correct to make the fuzzy statement “…the plans, which have been in place for some time…”. According to the conviction of many stakeholders, the date to submit the documentation to the EA by the developers was chosen carefully (and with bad intentions) to coincide with the high season.
3)Mr. Ciráki’s statement about the direction of the runway shows lack of information. Compare, e.g. the direction of the runway of Alba Airport (having been permitted already) to the one of Veszprém-Szentkirályszabadja (with the same most probable wind direction). The angle of the two runways is 32 degrees… Terrain is no factor whatsoever in case of Veszprém-Szentkirályszabadja (check it e.g. on Google Earth).
If you are interested in more balanced views on the airport and its economic non-(feasibility), you may contact me.
Dr. Károly Kutics
Balatonalmádi
Thank you Doctor for showing the other side of the case.
It baffles me how anybody can make a viable business case when there exists an airport so near at Székesfehérvár,Budapest is relatively close and of course Sármellik sits at the bottom end of the Balaton–now talk also of selling Káposvár as a commercial airport ? All in the middle of an economic recession and collapsing foreign tourism.