Along with the continued recovery of air traffic after the Covid-19 crisis, noise pollution around Brussels Airport also increased again in 2023: a total of 13,432 local residents were "potentially highly annoyed" by aircraft taking off and landing last year.
There were 192,257 aircraft movements at the airport in 2023, a further recovery after three years impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. Compared to 2019, before the pandemic, the number of flight movements was still 18% lower, according to an annual noise impact study.
In the municipalities around the airport, noise pollution is nearing 2019 levels again. Aviation consultant To70 Belgium calculated that 89,215 people lived in a zone with a noise impact of at least 55 decibels last year, still 8% less than in 2019.
Not everyone experiences a certain noise level in the same way, which is why a complex formula is used to calculate the number of "potentially highly annoyed people" each time. In 2023, there were 13,432 – over 14% more than in 2022, and still 7.2% less than in 2019.
Noise impact should decrease, despite growth
The noise impact is concentrated across five municipalities: Machelen (with 2,825 "potentially highly annoyed" inhabitants), Zaventem (2,225), Brussels City (1,830), Steenokkerzeel (1,725) and Evere (1,542). Together, they house three-quarters of all "potentially highly annoyed" people.
Compared to 2019, noise impact has decreased in most municipalities around Brussels Airport. Grimbergen and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert have even fallen completely outside the area with a noise impact of at least 55 decibels and no longer count "potentially highly annoyed" residents.
In contrast, there are more "potentially highly annoyed" people than in 2019 in the municipalities below the landing route to runway 01 (approaching from the south): Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. This is because runway 01 was used more often due to weather conditions.
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Also in Steenokkerzeel and Kampenhout, under the landing route to runway 25R (from the east), there are more "potentially highly annoyed" people than in 2019. "The noise impact there has seen a slight increase," the researchers said.
Brussels Airport expects the noise impact around the airport to decrease in the coming years, despite the expected growth in passengers and cargo, and the number of people living in the vicinity.
By 2032, the number of "potentially highly annoyed" people would be 12% lower than in 2019, equivalent to some 12,700. This is due to more flights operating with the "most modern and noise-efficient aircraft" and thanks to the use of quieter landing techniques, the airport noted.
