Defenders of Berlin Tempelhof Airport in downtown Berlin have reported significant progress in their fight to keep the downtown airport open. At least 170,000 favorable votes are required for a full public referendum, and by the middle of last month the vote count had reached 190,000. Bernd Gans, president of the German business aviation association, told AIN he anticipates more than 200,000 in total. For the referendum to be valid, a quorum of 25 percent of the city’s 2.425 million electors must be met, according to Gans. The result, either for or against the closure, will not be binding, however.