Liège Airport has no fears of losing its environmental licence, its management announced on Wednesday following media reports that the auditor of the Council of State has requested the cancellation of the permit, which would force the airport to cease operations.
The auditor made the request in late February, arguing that there was insufficient data on the environmental impact of the airport's operations in the application submitted.
The municipality of Awans, which is in Liège Province, and various citizen's groups appealed against the licence, which was granted by the previous Walloon government. The auditor has supported their appeal and recommended the revocation of the permit. The timing of the final decision remains unknown.
The airport's management insists that the licence, granted in April last year, is well substantiated. It says it is confident that airport operations will not be affected and that it is working on “an appropriate solution” in the next few weeks.
This marks the second recommendation by the Council of State’s auditor to cancel the permit. A similar recommendation was made in February 2023 after the airport received a licence in January. To avoid halting operations, the Walloon government then chose a procedure that allowed it to withdraw that permit and reissue a new one.
Liège Airport is the fifth largest cargo airport in Europe. Last year, it handled 1,162,899 tonnes of goods, a 16 % increase compared to 2022. Growth continued in the initial months of this year.
The airport aims to invest €500 million as part of its Masterplan 2023-2040, .
