The Walloon Government has agreed to extend operations at Charleroi Airport for the next 20 years with a new environmental licence, but an expected rise in planned flights has angered locals and opposition MPs.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA)’s previous permit was due to expire at the end of July. On Thursday, the centre-right MR-Les Engagés coalition announced it had approved the new 20-year licence, also for Liège Airport.
Belgium’s second busiest airport will now be able to expand and grow while "respecting" the health of local residents and the environment, according to regional Walloon Energy Minister Celine Neven (MR).
"The renewal of our permit is a decisive step for Brussels South Charleroi Airport," said the recently-appointed CEO, Christophe Segaert. "It confirms the strategic importance of our activity for Wallonia and our commitment to reconciling development and responsibility."
Under the new permit, there are plans to increase flights, gradually reduce the noise threshold, improve road access to the airport and build a new security checkpoint to help ease queues.
However, opposition green party Ecolo has accused the government of turning the airport into a "noise and environmental dump" – particularly over the envisaged increase in flight operations and the lack of sufficient guarantees against late-night flights after 23:00.
"The Walloon Government has validated the 6th revision of the Noise Exposure Plan (PEB) without setting a clear ceiling on the number of flights at Charleroi Airport," said Marie Lecocq, leader of Ecolo, in a statement.
67% rise in flights
In the announcement, the regional government reiterated that Charleroi Airport is only allowed to operate a maximum of 86,724 commercial flight per year.
Yet with no flight figures given beyond the maximum limit – which has been in place since 2004 – campaigners believe the new permit will allow the airport to freely increase flights every year up until 2045.
The French-speaking greens, Ecolo, have accused the government of enabling a 67% increase in air traffic under the new 20-year plan. Based on the impact study, that would mean going from 49,800 annual flights to 83,000 by 2045.
They accuse the centre-right government of "brushing aside" the previous Walloon administration's proposal of operating 70,200 annual flights by 2031, an increase of 20,400 flights compared to 2019.
Passengers waiting outside during a strike action of the 'Security Master' safety personnel at Charleroi Airport on Tuesday 18 October 2022. Credit: Belga / Virginie Lefour.
Walloon MP Veronica Cremasco (Ecolo) says that management is "ignoring" the view of former CEO Jean-Jacques Cloquet, who is now regional MP with centrists Les Engagés, when he declared in L'Echo a few years ago that targeting 15 million passengers was "an error in the face of climate issues."
When counting the government’s limit of nearly 87,724 commercial flights per year until 2045, the new permit would see a 74% rise in commercial flights since 2019, according to local campaign group 'Stop Nuisance at Charleroi Airport'.
"This agreement is a real disaster for the health and well-being of the inhabitants of the municipalities overflown," said Luc Hindryckx, member of the ‘Stop Nuisances’ committee, to La Libre.
'Night airport in practice'
Within the plans, the Walloon Government notes that many measures in the licence renewal are designed to tackle environmental and health concerns.
Among these, are protective measures for local residents affected by noise, such as soundproofing or assistance with sound insulation for their homes. It will also impose higher fines for noise pollution by abolishing tolerances and raising fines to up to €10,000 per offence.
Illustration picture shows travellers with suitcases outside 'Brussels South Airport' in Charleroi, in the Hainaut province, Monday 24 November 2014. Credit: Belga / Virginie Lefour
However, previous fining systems were rarely applied and varied from from €200 to €7,700. Furthermore, the current legal framework does not allow the effective sanctioning of companies breaching operating hours or noise standards, making the policy largely symbolic, according to Ecolo's statement.
"BSCA is already a night airport in practice, violating official schedules. The permit, even on the basis of the envisaged quota count reform, does not provide any sufficient guarantee against late flights," said the Ecolo leader, Lecocq.
As part of its environmental measures, the government announced plans to strengthen permanent monitoring of noise and air quality around Charleroi Airport. However, locals say this is not enough.
"The many residents who are woken up every day by planes don't need noise meters to know that they are suffering from pollution," Stop Nuisance's Hindrycxk said. "The effects of pollutants are well enough known to apply a strict precautionary principle."
There are also economic concerns about the airport's operations. For example, the airport’s fees of €2.46 per passenger artificially drive prices down in favour of ultra-low-cost airlines like Ryanair.
"This model is neither sustainable nor profitable and exposes Walloon public finances to significant risks. It is time to initiate a transition towards a sustainable, equitable model rather than always wanting more pollution, less quality of life for an outdated economic model," explains Marie Lecocq.
