In an effort to reduce sound pollution, Budapest will ban commercial night flights over the city from August, Mayor István Tarlós and Minister for Technology and Innovation László Palkovics announced after a meeting with the Air Traffic and Air Industry Council.
According to Rmx.news, Mayor Tarlós said that according to minister Palkovics “the ban from midnight until 5 a.m. will certainly be in place by August”. He added, however, that in line with international air traffic regulations certain flights will be exempt from the ban, but did not specify which ones.
Mayor Tarlós added that a separate commission will also examine the possibility of extending the ban from 5 to 8 a.m. He said that airlines will be financially responsible for any noise that exceeds the limit and the ban will be backed by a noise protection penalty. The capital will also upgrade its noise monitoring network and encourage airlines to use less noisy airplanes.