Today Hamburg's inhabitants in Blankenese have other problems with aircraft: the Hamburg section of the European Airbus industry is growing non-stop. It has even extended into the Elbe - and it won't be long before the take-offs and landings greatly increase at the plant's airfield near Finkenwerder, as soon as production of the new big Airbus A 380 gets underway.

Properties once so sought-after on the Süllberg are already declining in value. But the traditional business-minded approach of the ancient Hanseatic town wins out in the end - the people of Hamburg recognize that enjoying prosperity and creating new prosperity are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes conflicts are bound to arise, as the example of the controversial increase in Airbus production goes to prove.

Are the huge Airbus production sheds a valuable addition or an painful eyesore? One thing is certain: over 9,000 people work in Finkenwerder on the internationally successful Airbus. When combined with the 7,000 employees of the big Lufthansa plant at the airport in Fuhlsbüttel the full surprising picture emerges: following Seattle with the headquarters of the main American competitor Boeing, Hamburg is one of the world's largest aircraft production locations - approximately level with Toulouse, the Airbus partner city.