The Council of State issued a negative opinion on Liège airport’s permit at the end of February. If this decision is followed, the airport will have to halt its activities overnight, according to L’Echo. Last year, the Walloon government renewed the airport’s permit, limiting the number of flight movements to a maximum of 55,000 per year. This number was the result of political negotiations as it was initially proposed to allow a maximum of 50,000 flights per year. However, the motivation for the permit still refers to the lower number of 50,000.
Several parties opposed this new permit and appealed to the Council of State. These included Limburg and Dutch municipalities, Flanders, and some environmental movements. The auditor of the Council of State recommended annulling the permit, which runs until 2040.
Despite this advice being non-binding, it has caused unrest at Liège Airport. The airport issued a warning to the Walloon government as they are asking for a rectification without waiting for a legal decision.
The Walloon Minister of Airports Adrien Dolimont believes renegotiating the number of annual flight movements is not necessary despite Ecolo’s desire to do so. This situation has sparked uncertainty about Liège Airport’s future operations if its permit is annulled.
Liège Airport serves as a major hub for cargo operations in the region and plays a critical role in transportation infrastructure.
