Brussels citizens’ group Free Air 4 Brussels says air traffic over the capital has tripled since the RNP 07L flight path, which was introduced a year ago.
The new path has been dubbed by protestors as ‘Crucke route’, after the Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), who brought in its increased use.
The group accuses the Federal Government of showing too little respect for Brussels residents’ health and quality of life.
After a year of testing the RNP 07L route over north-west Brussels, campaigners say there has still been no clear public debate about air traffic over the Brussels-Capital Region, despite what they describe as a major shift in flight patterns.
According to Free Air 4 Brussels, 9,827 flights used the RNP 07 route between 1 July 2025 and 1 July 2026. In the same period a year earlier, that figure stood at 3,204.
At the same time, the number of flights using the RNP 01 route fell to 6,956, around half the level recorded in 2023 and 2024. Overall, the group says about 3,500 additional flights were redirected over the Brussels-Capital Region.
Credit: Belga / Jacques Collet
The campaigners say more than 280,000 residents are now exposed to the new route, eight times more than before. They warn that this is having serious consequences for liveability in the city and for public health.
They say residents in municipalities such as Schaerbeek and other affected parts of Brussels often have to turn up the volume on radios and televisions to drown out aircraft noise.
While occasional overflights may be manageable, they argue that the situation becomes unbearable when planes pass overhead more than 10 times a day.
The official test phase is due to end in October 2026. Opponents are calling for the Crucke route to be scrapped immediately.
They are also demanding that the case be reopened through what they describe as an open and transparent procedure, with input from local residents.
