Beyond the Green Line: Brussels Airport Environmental Permit Under Fire from Environmental Organizations

Brussels Airport environmental permit has come under scrutiny from thirteen environmental organizations and residents associations. The groups argue that the conditions outlined in the permit do not go far enough to protect the health of local residents or to mitigate the impact on the climate and environment.

The new environmental permit for Brussels Airport, approved by Flemish Minister of the Environment Zuhal Demir at the end of March, does not include a ban on night flights. Instead, it stipulates quiet weekend nights and requires a reduction of 30 percent in the number of seriously disturbed sleepers by 2030. However, the organizations claim that the permit lacks effective measures to control noise pollution, which affects over 150,000 local residents and can lead to health issues.

Despite some restrictions on weekend flights, local residents are not afforded similar peace during weekdays. The groups argue that this fails to adequately address sleep disturbance and should be grounds for annulment. They also criticize the permit for not curbing air freight growth and passenger numbers, which will have a detrimental impact on the climate. They assert that an environmental impact report must be revised in accordance with national and international environmental laws to better consider this impact.

Additionally, these organizations express concerns about aircraft nitrogen emissions affecting nature. They argue that there are insufficient measures in place to address this issue in the current permit. Furthermore, they criticize the lack of alternative growth scenarios in the environmental impact report, which they claim is a legal requirement.

The thirteen associations challenging Brussels Airport’s environmental permit include Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen, Dryade vzw, Climaxi vzw, Grandparents for Climate Action Vlaanderen and others who are seeking a revision of the permit to better protect residents’ health and mitigate its negative impact on the environment while complying with legal requirements for environmental assessments.