Ombudsman again calls for a complete noise barrier around Brussels Airport | Domestic

Ombudsman Philippe Touwaide lists a total of fifteen proposals to restart the file that has been blocked for twenty years. One of these is the “immediate construction of a complete noise barrier and a test operating shed” at the airport, two matters for which the ombudsman has repeatedly advocated. These are decisions that were made in 1988 but were never implemented, he says.

As far as night flights are concerned, Touwaide advocates, among other things, a reduction in the QC (quota count, a measure of the noise an aircraft makes), a ban on night flights with Boeing 777 aircraft and strict respect for night slots, with night flights without such a slot (a granted departure or landing right) would be impossible. Airport operator Brussels Airport Company recently proposed treating night flights without slots more strictly.

The ombudsman also proposes not to allow heavy aircraft in the morning and evening. Taking off aircraft would also be required to take off from the runway threshold and at maximum thrust at the airport (so that they take off faster and gain altitude over the aerodrome), and with a fifty-fifty split between left and right turns after takeoff.

Still on the wish list: “a supervisory authority that ensures that all breaches of aviation regulations are punished and that all violations come to an end”.

In his press release, the ombudsman also lashes out, not for the first time, at Brussels Airport Company – “which does not accept any progress and denounces any form of dialogue” – and parcel carrier DHL. The latter “continues to operate with aircraft that are not allowed to fly at night or with aircraft that are more than thirty years old,” Touwaide criticizes.

“The private companies Brussels Airport Company and DHL, as well as the federal minister responsible for aviation, must make significant efforts to reach a balanced agreement that respects the economy, health and the environment in defense of the airlines, but also with with a view to preserving the right to health, tranquility and a better living environment for those living near Brussels National,” the ombudsman concludes.

Federal Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) proposed a draft ministerial decision before the summer holidays to limit nuisance around Brussels Airport. The most striking measure was a total ban on night flights (between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.). A proposal that provoked mixed reactions, from “essential for the health of local residents” to “economic madness” and “a threat to 14,000 jobs”.