Leipzig's Airport is Secured as the Safest in Germany, According to Pilots - Germany's Leipzig Airport is the nation's most secure aviation hub
In a recent assessment by Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the pilots' union, Leipzig-Halle Airport emerged as the safest airport in Germany, surpassing Munich in the top spot. However, Lübeck Airport found itself at the bottom of the list, with concerns about runway incursions and operational safety.
The VC's Airport Check 2025 prioritised the prevention of runway incursions and excursions, alongside ensuring reliable navigation aids such as GPS backups, to enhance pilot and passenger safety. The assessment focused on daily incidents at airports worldwide, including minor ones up to serious accidents.
Leipzig-Halle's runways were praised for their exemplary lighting systems, including fully illuminated stop bars on the approaches. In contrast, Lübeck Airport was criticised for the lack of sufficiently paved clearways of 300 meters in length at the ends of its runways.
Runway incursions, defined as unauthorized access to active runways, pose significant risks for collisions and accidents. The VC's assessment also highlighted issues such as excursions (departures from runway or taxiway paths) and the reliability of GPS backups.
The catastrophic collision of two aircraft in Tokyo-Haneda at the beginning of 2024, which resulted in five deaths, underscores the severe consequences runway incursions can have if safety signage and guidance do not comply with standards. In this incident, stop bars were defective.
Regional airports have been included in the VC's safety check since an unspecified point in time. Other airports, such as Frankfurt and Berlin-Brandenburg, received moderate safety scores, not qualifying them for the top tier.
The observance and control of international regulations is the responsibility of the supervisory authorities. All German airports were considered safe enough for passenger flights by the VC. The VC's annual safety check of German commercial airports has been conducted since 1978, and this year, colleagues from Switzerland were involved for the second time.
In the north, VC criticised the lack of invitation to safety meetings at Lübeck Airport. Munich Airport slipped to second place in the current VC evaluation due to stop bars not being operated around the clock. The methodology of the VC's safety check has been slightly modified compared to the previous year, placing more emphasis on particularly effective safety measures.
The VC calls for improvements in the pursuit of maximum safety at German airports. Among other things, they are advocating for backup systems to be installed for the US GPS system, which is frequently disrupted due to geopolitical tensions.
- The VC's Airport Check 2025 advocates for community policies that prioritize vocational training for air traffic controllers, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and operating reliable navigation aids such as GPS backups for the prevention of runway incursions and enhancement of overall safety.
- In an effort to minimize risks associated with runway incursions, technology plays a crucial role in vocational training for pilots, with a focus on understanding and adhering to safety signage and guidance systems, especially in the era of increasing reliance on GPS technology.
