Feb. 18, 2009
Residents of the Lake Balaton resort town of Balatonalmádi turned out in force at a public hearing on a planned Chinese-Hungarian airport development, Greenfo.hu reported. Opponents of the airport, which would be built on a former Russian military base at the town's edge, point out that four airports already operate nearby, and that the resulting noise, air and soil pollution would be unacceptable so close to Lake Balaton. Due to runway orientation and prevailing wind conditions, take-off and landing manoeuvres would have to be performed over the town itself.
The location of the planned airport also contravenes the International Civil Aviation Organization Bird Control and Reduction Manual, which specifies a minimum distance of 15 kilometres from regional waste disposal sites. A disused but non-recultivated communal landfill is situated just two kilometres from the site, and the new regional waste tip currently under construction in Királyszentistváni is 11 kilometres distant. A referendum will be held in Balatonalmádi on July 7.
