Flemish government sounds the alarm over new flight routes from Brussels Airport

According to the Flemish Minister for the Rand, the Flemish border areas around Brussels, Ben Weyts (nationalist/N-VA), research by the Flemish environment department shows that the recent adjustment of routes once again places a heavier noise burden on Flanders.

Residents of the municipalities in the Vlaamse Rand north of Brussels have been experiencing more noise pollution from overflying aircraft in recent days. Since 5 October, planes flying to and from Brussels Airport have been following new flight routes.

The new flight routes are the consequence of a new satellite-based navigation technique for aircraft around airports: Performance Based Navigation, PBN for short. That system works much more precisely than the old system using radio beacons. But since there has been a complete switch to the new navigation system, there have also been more complaints about noise pollution in Wemmel, Meise, Grimbergen, Vilvoorde and Machelen.

The Flemish government had the environment department investigate whether there is indeed a shift in noise pollution. The department found that the flight paths have shifted more towards Flanders since adjustments in early October.

The results show that more aircraft are indeed flying over the north and north-west of the Vlaamse Rand and less over the Brussels Capital Region. The shift applies to both daytime and nighttime flights.

The Flemish government is now invoking the so-called conflict of interest procedure because it believes its interests are compromised by a decision of the federal government.

"We are arguing that on the basis of a technical pretext the federal government has started shifting flight paths, both during the day and at night. As a result, even more flights fly over Flemish areas and fewer are overflying the Brussels region," Flemish minister Ben Weyts (N-VA) told VRT NWS. "By invoking the conflict-of-interest procedure, the change implemented since 5 October should be reversed."

"If you look at the maps, you see that flightpaths do happen to skirt the border with the Brussels region and all flights are concentrated over the Flemish areas. Moreover, flights are concentrated in a much narrower corridor.  That means people living there will even more be affected by aircraft noise."

In addition, the Flemish government is also taking the matter to the Council of State and to the court of first instance in Brussels. "The latter court has already vindicated us in the past," Weyts says. "The federal government was convicted because of the concentration of flights over Flemish areas. Since then, these municipalities have been receiving 50,000 euros a week in penalty payments."

Federal mobility minister Georges Gilkinet (Francophone green/Ecolo) is responsible for flight routes. He is trying to assuage Flemish government concerns and has promised to take action.

"I understand the concerns of residents, who suffer greatly from noise pollution from the national airport. That is why I am taking action and making proposals to reduce noise pressure for these local residents," his office told VRT NEWS.

"The subject will be discussed this week during the regular consultations with the regions, which have been taking place on the minister's initiative since the beginning of this parliament”.

The minister acknowledges that certain new flight routes cross the Flemish borderlands to the North of Brussels but added that Belgium is bound to introduce the new technique under its European obligations. "I have requested a thorough analysis and comparison between old and new routes from the Directorate General of Aviation. I am now waiting for the results. If necessary, there will be adjustments," the minister promises.