Lufthansa loses night flight court challenge A German court has upheld a ban on night flights at Frankfurt airport in a blow to Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline by revenues, and Fraport, which operates the busy aviation hub. The Leipzig court upheld a ban on flights between 11pm and 5am that a lower court had ordered in October. That decision reversed a local government attempt to allow 17 flights during the night. IN Transport The court also ruled that the maximum average number of flights permitted between 10pm-11pm and 5am-6am must be reduced from 150 to 133. Although the state government may now try to introduce new regulation of night flights, the process could take many months and the court ruling means the federal state's options are limited. Frankfurt airport has become a focus of weekly vociferous protests by local residents and businesses after the opening of a fourth runway last year triggered complaints about excessive noise. But Frankfurt airport's operator and users fear that the restrictions could leave it at a disadvantage as competition with air traffic hubs intensifies as the Middle East becomes increasingly attractive as a destination for connecting flights between North America and Asia. Stefan Schulte, Fraport chief executive, said he welcomed the court's recognition that the expansion of the airport was legal and said the night-time restrictions would have to be accepted, "however difficult and annoying that is, particularly for freight and given all the associated negative economic consequences." Lufthansa's cargo unit has estimated it will lose €40m in annual earnings if the ban is upheld and warned that future investment could be affected by the decision. "For Frankfurt airport the night flights ruling is a further step which limits the ability of German airlines and airports to compete with foreign rivals," Klaus-Peter Siegloch, president of the BDL, the German air industry body, said, according to Bloomberg. There are no such limitations in Amsterdam, Paris, London or Dubai. Christoph Franz, Lufthansa's chief executive, said the company feared long-term negative consequences for Frankfurt's airport. This is a big blow for Germany as a place to do business and there is no doubt that one of Europe's biggest hubs will slip in international competitiveness. He added that Lufthansa would reiterate the importance of night flights in future planning permission hearings. Shares in Lufthansa fell by 2.6 per cent to €10.28, while those in Fraport shed 1.6 per cent to €47.26. The Frankfurt row mirrors acrimony over the expansion of airport capacity in the UK, where the coalition government has ruled out a third runway at London Heathrow - Europe's busiest hub. Protests have also accompanied plans to expand air capacity in Berlin. Frankfurt airport was last month hit by strike action that grounded flights over a dispute with ground staff who argued the fourth runway had increased their work.