Walloon politicians limit operations at Liège Airport
Europe
The provincial Walloon Government has decided to limit the number of aircraft movements at Liège Airport (LGG) to 55,000 per year, according to CargoForwarder Global. In the initial permit, the politicians intended to cap operations more radically, allowing only 50,000 annually to reduce the noise and greenhouse gas emissions caused by air traffic. In a first statement, airport spokesman, Christian Delcourt, reacted cautiously positive to the government’s decision.
“55,000 movements per year is still 5,000 more than we were originally granted by the responsible politicians,” says Mr. Delcourt. In this respect, the airport’s appeal against the first decision has paid off, he adds. All the more so as roughly 28,000 aircraft operated at LGG last year. “This means that the new permit would allow us to double the number of annual movements,” an executive told CargoForwarder Global. However, in its appeal the airport had requested an official approval for as many as 67,000 arrivals and departures per year.
And there are further restrictions commencing in 2024. Aircraft whose noise quota per take-off surpasses the limits documented in a table, are banned from operating at LGG between 23:00h and 07:00h. The permitted noise quota is further reduced each consecutive year. All other aircraft complying with noise guidelines are allowed to operate 24/7/365.
