Noisy airplane landings at the airport in Geneva are with us for a while
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Geneva is not likely to see a change to landing approaches at its airport anytime soon, with a ruling published 13 September by the Federal Aviation Office (Ofac) that a segmented landing solution would be too risky.
Complaints about noise from aircraft near the airport led the then-environmental appeals office (now part of the federal justice system) in 2006 to ask the airport to carry out a feasibility study, and Ofac to rule on it, for the segmented approach on piste 23, on the eastern side of the airport.
This would involve an aircraft going out over the lake before flying straight in using its instrument landing systems.
Ofac has now ruled that for technical and safety reasons the segmented approach is too risky. The crew would be required to make a double loop and stabilize the plane during the final stage of the delicate landing process.
The process is both complex and carries uncertainty, says Ofac, with too great a risk for airport operations. A stable and safe landing procedure takes priority, the office says.
