Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) said on Thursday that the Government of Brussels would appeal to the Council of State against the RNP 07L flight route.
Speaking after a meeting of the regional government, Van den Brandt said the decision had been agreed unanimously.
She was responding to criticism earlier in the day from Environment Minister Ans Persoons (Vooruit) over a letter that had been sent in error by Federal Minister Crucke to Van den Brandt’s office.
Van den Brandt said the government would pursue legal action through the Brussels Region and the Joint Community Commission, while also backing appeals lodged by municipalities and residents.
She insisted that the letter had at no point prevented the Region from taking the matter to the Council of State. She also said the Government of Brussels would challenge any claim that the letter could count as an official notification.
“We will join the appeals that municipalities or citizens bring before the Council of State,” she said. “We will not be intimidated by a sheet of A4 sent quietly behind the scenes.”
Van den Brandt argued that it had been misleading from the outset to suggest that the problem of aircraft noise could be resolved by a vaguely worded letter. She described it as a distraction that concealed the lack of agreement on aviation law and on a broader reduction of nuisance for all residents.
The minister said Groen would continue to push for action at the federal and Flemish levels, where, she noted, the key powers to tackle aircraft noise lie.
According to Van den Brandt, the Flemish government can impose fewer flights through the environmental permit, while the federal government must work urgently on a new aviation law.
This is where the real solution lies, as Brussels residents have endured intolerable disruption for far too long, she added.
