Antwerp Airport gets new permit under strict conditions

Despite nearly 6,000 submitted objections, the airport in Deurne, also known as Antwerp Airport, has been granted a new environmental permit by Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA). The open-ended permit does come with “strict conditions.”

For example, there will be a ban on night flights, noise standards will be established, a noise wall must be built, and a strict follow-up of the imposed objectives. It would also be possible to adjust the permit in the future if necessary. At least one action group has already announced that it will appeal.

“No carte blanche”

The 20-year environmental permit for Deurne Airport expired in June. At the end of July, the Regional Environmental Permit Committee (GOVC) issued conditionally favorable advice for the new permit that was applied for last year by operator LEM, which allowed the airport to continue functioning until August 10.

However, action groups and residents also expressed opposition to the new permit—approximately 6,000 objections—because they fear nuisance and pollution.

Because Minister Demir wanted to achieve the maximum balance between the airport’s economic interests and the quality of life in the area, she has now issued a new permit for an indefinite period. However, additional measures are being taken to guarantee the quality of life in the neighborhood. “This is not carte blanche,” Demir clarifies. It is important that mechanisms are built in to guarantee follow-up and support.”

Aircraft movements were limited to 46,619

For example, the airport will be closed from 11 pm to 7 am at night. There are exceptions for medical flights and flights with a delay of up to 30 minutes after midnight, whose landing was last scheduled at 10:59 pm – an exception that can be used a maximum of 30 times a year. As a transitional measure through June next year, commercial flights planned will still be allowed from 6:30 am.

Furthermore, the number of aircraft movements will be limited to 4,745 scheduled flights, 18,762 business flights, 16,000 training flights, and 7,112 other flights. Additional conditions will apply to training flights, such as a ban on Saturdays after 2 p.m. starting in the summer of 2025.

Sound wall

A sound wall must also be built near the elementary school on Boekenberglei, efforts must be made to reduce CO2, and no PFAS or PFOS-containing fire extinguishing foam may be used or stored on the site – in fact, most firefighters no longer use it.

Measures must be taken to better capture antifreeze when de-icing aircraft, and the use of leaded fuel will be phased out.

Moreover, the airport operator, the LEM, and the French company Egis must organize a consultation committee at least annually to inform residents, local authorities, and civil society about the rollout of the measures.

In addition, Demir promises a monitoring committee that will track the progress of all targets. “If they are not met, the operator will be obliged to take additional actions. The airport must also prepare a health impact assessment,” Demir says.

Action groups in appeal

It remains to be seen whether the commotion surrounding Deurne Airport’s permit has returned to normal with the permit’s granting. Two legal proceedings regarding the Runway End Safety Area (RESA) are underway. One proceeding relates to the alleged illegal construction of the RESA. The court acquitted the airport in 2020 despite the ongoing appeal process. The other proceeding relates to the use of that infrastructure. There, too, the court acquitted the airport.

However, the public prosecutor’s office did say it would appeal. If the RESA had not been amended earlier, the airport could not have operated at all today – since international rules would not have been met.

Meanwhile, the action groups Vliegerplein and Verlenging Nooit have also announced that they will go to the Council for Permit Disputes against the decision. The action groups have always considered Deurne’s expansion illegal – among other things, because of building on agricultural land. “They could not refuse the permit because the Flemish government gave a concession to the LEM until 2039,” says Vliegerplein. “No permit would mean that the Minister acknowledges that the airport was expanded illegally and that all subsidies are completely lost.”

Last year, the airport attracted 259 764 passengers, but a social cost-benefit analysis shows that for every euro of revenue, there are three euros of government support.