In protest against the government's decision to limit the airport's expansion, workers from Liège Airport went on strike in front of the Walloon government offices in Namur on Wednesday afternoon. , The demonstration criticises a decision by the government to go back on previous plans to enlarge the airport's capacity.
was y were protesting against as planned out in their recently renewed operating licence.
In September, the permit for Liège Airport was renewed until 2043, with the airport announcing plans to double the number of flights from 35,000 to 70,000 per year.
Yet the Walloon government recently opted to limit the number of flights to 50,000 per year, instead seeking a gradual reduction in night flights in an effort to bring down carbon emissions.
This decision angered airport employees who took to the regional government offices in Namur on Wednesday to voice their concerns about the impact this decision might have on their jobs.
Joachim Schneider, regional secretary of the FGTB union, stated that the government's restrictions "could lead to operators moving to Frankfurt, Maastricht or even Ostend." Schneider stated that this "could result in a social disaster" and called for "the 20-year operating permit to be renewed by 14 February at the latest."
In response, Christie Morreale, the Walloon Minister for Employment, attempted to assure striking workers that "while there is a climate transition that we have to be part of, it cannot come at the expense of workers or businesses." As a result, "we have to find a balance so that Liège Airport can continue to develop under acceptable conditions."
