Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Brussels Airport is investing €500 million to expand, but faces criticism from Brussels city, Philippe Touwaide, and Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe over noise pollution and environmental concerns, especially at night.
Brussels Airport is getting a big makeover. They’re investing 500 million euros to enlarge and improve the airport. They’re constructing a new central terminal, enlarging the arrival and departure sections, installing a hotel, a new area for passenger drop-off, and a park with a sidewalk.
They wish to modernise the airport, have it accommodate more individuals, and compete with other airports globally. However, some individuals in Brussels are concerned about the environment. They think the airport needs to be more careful about how its changes affect the environment.
Is Brussels Airport’s expansion plan ignoring noise concerns?
Brussels Airport has been accused by the city administration of doing nothing to control noise pollution. According to the city, the airport is not obeying regulations on how much it can make noise, particularly given that Brussels is a place that has tight regulations regarding noise.
They said that a study even recommended how to quieten the airport, such as lengthening one runway so the planes would fly in a pattern that would not be so noisy over houses. But the airport is stating it is not going to invest in quietening it; they would rather enlarge it.
The city is concerned that the airport only cares to become larger without considering the environment. They are afraid that the plans of the airport are unsustainable. This disagreement between the airport wanting to grow and the city wanting to protect people from noise pollution is a big problem.
The head of the Brussels Airport ombudsman, Philippe Touwaide, is unhappy with the airport’s new plan for spending money. He says the plan doesn’t address important environmental issues. He mentioned that, for example, the plan doesn’t include a noise barrier to help reduce noise for people living near the airport.
It also doesn’t include a special building for testing aeroplane engines, which is something the law has required since 1988. These things are supposed to make the airport less noisy for the community, but the airport’s plan doesn’t have them.
The town of Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe is near Brussels Airport. They are upset about the airport’s noise. The Belgian government was told this year that the airport is too noisy, especially at night. 269 flights were louder than they’re allowed to be. Many of these noisy flights happened between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning.
Because the airport isn’t following the rules about noise, people are asking for stricter rules. They also want the airport to think again about its plans to get bigger. They say the airport needs to do a better job of controlling noise before it can grow any more.
