The court rejected the complaint of the municipalities opposing the expansion of Vodochody Airport

Odolena Voda (near Prague) - The Supreme Administrative Court in Brno rejected the appeal of municipalities opposing the expansion of Vodochody Airport near Prague. It will still discuss the appeal from the Ministry of the Environment, which also disagrees with a recent ruling allowing the airport's expansion. This follows from the court's decision, which ČTK has at its disposal. The appeal does not have a suspensive effect, so the airport management continues with preparations for the project, which was originally planned to be completed this year.

The municipalities are concerned about excessive noise and the impact on groundwater, for example. The Ministry of the Environment also filed an appeal, citing improper assessment of legal issues related to hydrology and noise. The ruling that was challenged by the appeal is considered unreviewable due to its incomprehensibility. The municipalities and the ministry also requested that the appeal have a suspensive effect. The court did not grant this request in its decision from May 5.

The mayor of Kralupy nad Vltavou, which is also fighting against the airport's expansion, Petr Holeček (for STAN) told ČTK today that the city's management will consult with lawyers, and a meeting of the mayors of the affected municipalities is planned for next week. Besides Kralupy, the resolution rejected the appeals from the municipalities of Zlončice, Dolany, Panenské Břežany, Bašť, Kozomín, Líbeznice, Měšice, Postřižín, Úžice, Máslovice, and Chvatěruby.

Regarding the appeal from the Ministry of the Environment, Vodochody Airport is preparing a statement. The process of updating the decisions of the authorities necessary for the building permit application is also ongoing. Preparations for the access road to the D8 highway are still in progress. “First and foremost, transport solutions are being prepared, and in the second round, we need to add items related to the airport,” said Martin Kačur, director of Vodochody Airport, to ČTK today. According to the director, the airport has already addressed objections regarding the impact on groundwater and noise in the current project documentation.

The Ministry issued a favorable EIA assessment for Vodochody Airport two years ago. Due to complaints from the mayors of surrounding municipalities, who submitted 40 remarks, the authority began to reassess its opinion. It then revoked it, stating that it contained procedural errors in the area of water management and incorrect raising of noise limits due to the so-called correction. The cancellation of the EIA was subsequently challenged by the airport in court. The Municipal Court in Prague initially refused to deal with the case, but the Supreme Administrative Court ordered it to do so, and in December last year, the Prague court ruled that the assessment was valid.

The expansion of the airport is expected to cost approximately three billion crowns, and it is intended to be used for private flights as well as low-cost airlines.