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‘I’m surprised nothing’s happened yet’: How planes in Germany are flying dangerously close to each other

Aircraft are repeatedly flying too close to each other in German airspace and increasing the chance of collisions, a new report has found.

'I'm surprised nothing's happened yet': How planes in Germany are flying dangerously close to each other
A flight taking off from Munich Airport. Photo: DPA

In the past four years, there have been more than 170 “potentially dangerous approaches by aircraft”, according to the Federal Office for Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) and reported by German broadcaster NDR on Tuesday. 

The majority of these alarming incidents came from collision warning systems, which ask commercial pilots to change course immediately when a risk is detected.

In other cases, dangerous approaches and near-collisions were observed by pilots who weren't warned beforehand.

According to NDR, aviation experts believe the total figures are even higher because reports are also received by other authorities responsible for aviation. There's also a considerable number of unreported incidents.

The reasons for dangerous approaches are manifold: there are more planes in the sky and collision warning systems belonging to large and small aircraft are incompatible. Plus there's a lack of radio technology among private pilots, but also commercial pilots who, due to time pressure, take shortcuts through airspaces shared with glider pilots.

These close calls occur repeatedly in the so-called mixed airspace, a zone used by large and small aircraft, in the wider vicinity of commercial airports.

READ ALSO: Trains instead of planes: Could domestic flights in Germany really become 'obsolute'?

'Suddenly the large lettering “Lufthansa” appeared'

In 2018, for example, in North Rhine-Westphalia alone there were at least eight cases of approaches between commercial aircraft and gliders in the vicinity of the Weeze and Paderborn airports in which passenger planes had to move to avoid a collision.

Meanwhile, on July 23rd this year in Schleswig-Holstein, south of Lübeck, an Airbus A321 from Lufthansa and a glider missed each other by only a few metres.

“Suddenly the large lettering 'Lufthansa' appeared next to me at a distance of about 40 to 60 metres,” Anne-Sophie Polz, the glider pilot said as she described the encounter with the 175-seat aircraft approaching Hamburg Airport.

A preliminary investigation report by the BFU found both the glider pilot and the Lufthansa pilot were allowed to be in the airspace concerned. However, both planes had apparently not been able to detect each other due to different warning systems.

Photo: DPA

Due to a lack of technical equipment, the glider could neither be detected by the Lufthansa aircraft nor by the air traffic controller on the radar. A Lufthansa spokesman said the firm was supporting the investigation into the incident but did not comment further.

Increase in air traffic

Christoph Strümpfel of the Institute of Aerospace at TU Berlin said the increase in air traffic was an important factor and called for stricter rules.

“German airspace is one of the most frequented airspaces in Europe,” he said.

Felix Gottwald of the Cockpit Association said the danger of a collision happening between a passenger aircraft and a smaller aircraft is realistic.

“I am surprised that nothing has happened yet, because we have enough reports where it's been very close, where aircraft just happened to fly past each other.

“That could have been a crash. So it's just a question of when something like that happens and not whether.”

Most aviation experts take a critical view of an obligation demanded by the BFU two years ago to equip all aircraft with so-called transponders – transmitters that broadcast the position and course of an aircraft.

At the beginning of 2019, German air navigation services (DFS) carried out a simulation and found this would lead to an overload of radio frequencies and could harm flight safety.

Germany's Transport Ministry told NDR that it was currently investigating the issues with the help of experts. A spokesperson said: “As part of flight safety work, the relevant points for possible action are being identified and considered.”

Vocabulary

Airspace – (der) Luftraum

Approaches – (die) Annäherungen

Aviation experts – (die) Luftfahrtexperten

Commercial aircraft (der) Verkehrsflugzeug

Glider – (der) Segelflieger

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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TRAVEL

Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts

Catch the very tail-end of the wine season and autumn foliage in one of the lesser-explored corners of the Austrian capital: Mauer.

Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts
Beautiful views and cosy taverns await you on the edge of Vienna. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Wine-hiking is an autumn must-do in Austria. There’s the official Wine Hiking Day (Weinwandertag) that usually draws in big crowds, but it’s also possible to follow the routes through beautiful scenery and wine taverns on your own.

Mauer in the southwest of Vienna is one of the routes that is mostly frequented by locals.


The footpath takes you through scenic vineyards. Photo: Catherine Edwards

You can reach this part of the 23rd district using Vienna’s public transport, and you have a few options. From the Hietzing station on the U4 line, you can take the tramline 60 or bus 56A. The former will take you either to Mauer’s central square or you can get off earlier at Franz-Asenbauer-Gasse to start the hike. If it’s too early in the day for wine just yet, you could start your day at the small and charming Designo cafe (Geßlgasse 6).

Otherwise, the residential area itself doesn’t have much to see, but keep an eye out as you wander between the taverns later — there are some beautiful buildings.

To start the hike, head west along Franz-Asenbauer Gasse, which will take you up into the vineyards, growing some red wine and Vienna’s specialty Gemischter Satz or ‘field blend’, which as the name suggests is a mixture of different types of grapes.

Photo: Catherine Edwards

The paved road takes a left turn, but the hiking route follows a smaller path further upwards. Here you’ll have magnificent views over the whole of Vienna.

If you stick to the official hiking route (see a map from Weinwandern here) you can keep the whole route under 5 kilometres. But more adventurous types don’t need to feel limited.

You can also follow the Stadtwanderweg 6 route (see a map here) either in full, which will add on a hefty 13 kilometres, or just in part, and venture further into the Mauerwald. If you do this, one spot to aim for is the Schießstätte, a former hunting lodge offering hearty Austrian meals.

EXPLORE AUSTRIA

In any case, you should definitely take a small detour to see the Wotrubakirche, an example of brutalist architecture from the mid-1970s built on a site that was used as a barracks during the Second World War.

Not far from the church is the Pappelteich, a small pond that is not only an important habitat for local flora and fauna, but a popular picnic spot for hikers. Its only water supply is from the rain, and due to climate change the pond has almost dried out in recent years, prompting the city to take action to boost its water supply by adding a permanent pipe.


The church is made up of over 150 concrete blocks. Photo: Catherine Edwards

What you really come to Mauer for, though, are the Heuriger or Viennese wine taverns. 

The most well-known is Edlmoser (Maurer Lange Gasse 123) which has previously been named as the best in Vienna. Note that it’s not open all year so check the website, but in 2021 it should be open between November 5th and 21st, and is also serving the goose that is a popular feature on Viennese menus this time of year.

Tip for translating Heuriger opening times: look for the word ausg’steckt, which is used by those taverns which aren’t open year round. They will also often show that they’re open by attaching a bunch of green twigs to the sign or front door.


Buschenschank Grausenburger. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Also worth visiting are cosy Buschenschank Grausenburger (Maurer Lange Gasse 101a), Heuriger Wiltschko (Wittgensteinstrasse 143 — located near the start of the hiking route, this is a good place to begin your tour) and Heuriger Fuchs-Steinklammer (Jesuitensteig 28).

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