Vienna Airport appeals against ban on expansion

VIENNA (Reuters) - Vienna Airport said on Thursday it had appealed to Austria's highest courts against an earlier court decision blocking its planned expansion for environmental reasons. One basis for the appeal was the violation of essential constitutionally anchored rights such as freedom of ownership, freedom to carry on a business and the principle of equality, the airport said in a statement. It said the legal provisions used to justify the court decision to prevent the construction of a third runway at the airport were arbitrary and inconceivably interpreted. "Above all, the decision is materially unlawful, contradictory in its reasoning and involved a serious violation of significant procedural principles such as the right to be heard." (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by David Clarke)