Dutch go to court over Belgian airport noise

22 April 2005

BRUSSELS – The Dutch city of Maastricht is mounting a legal case against Liege airport, claiming planes are disturbing its residents.

‘La Libre Belgique’ reported that on Thursday the city’s local authorities made an appeal to the Council of State. Liege lawyer Alain Lebrun said he would argue against the permission the airport has received to extend its main runway.

The move comes after the Belgian town of Riemst – near the Belgian-Dutch border – and the Flanders government also appealed for the scrapping of the runway extension.

Lebrun also lodged a legal appeal against the airport’s environmental permit, granted by Wallonia. The lawyer, who also represents ARACH – the residents’ association complaining about noise at Charleroi – said he would pursue all possible legal means against the airport.

He said Maastricht was standing up for its residents which were victims of noise pollution. A year ago, the city received 200 complaints from residents about noise at Liege-Bierset.

In January, five residents of the Dutch city approached SOWAER, the Wallonian Society of Airports, for a meeting about plane routes and schedules at Liege. They were accompanied to the meeting by a representative of Maastricht council.

Maastricht has also written to the independent authority for airport nuisance in Wallonia, ACNAW, to complain about too many flights heading over the city. They have also taken up the matter with the Belgian air traffic control agency Belgocontrol, but are still waiting for a response.

“There are planes flying over the residential part of Maastricht, but not at an altitude which international legislation considers can create nuisance,” said a Liege airport spokesman.

Subject: Belgian news