The Federal Government must say by 1 October how it plans to tackle aircraft noise around Brussels Airport, Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke said on Tuesday, as dozens of Flemish Brabant families launch legal action over a noisy flight path above their homes.
Crucke (Les Engagés) said the issue remained very much alive within the government and that ministers were discussing “concrete proposals” in response to the growing dispute.
The legal action has been brought by around 40 families in Flemish Brabant, who say they can no longer tolerate the prolonged use of a new air route passing over their homes.
The minister said he understood residents’ frustration but argued that only a broad political decision at federal level could deliver a lasting solution.
The 1 October deadline stems from a separate court case concerning the same flight path, used for landings on runway 07 Left.
That route also affects an estimated 450,000 people in Brussels who live closer to the airport and under the approach path, where noise pollution is even greater.
In February 2025, the French-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels ruled against the Belgian state over the disturbance caused by night-time flights over the capital.
The court gave the government until October this year to set out what measures it would take to comply with Brussels’ noise regulations.
