Four Limburg and eight Belgian municipalities are going to work together because they are concerned about the possible expansion of Bierset airport near Liège. The municipalities are concerned about the new permit application for the Walloon airport.
The airport wants to make room for 65,000 flights a year by 2040, much more than the 25,000 flights now. The airport also wants to extend the short second runway from 2340 to 3286 meters. This makes both lanes the same length.
Unrest among residents
The plans led to unrest in Belgian and Dutch Limburg because they lie below Bierset’s arrival and departure routes. writes 1Limburg.
There is especially fear for the night’s sleep of the inhabitants. Municipalities in the Limburg hills are also afraid that tourists will stay away from South Limburg due to the increasing noise from airplanes from Bierset.
The Belgian municipality of Riemst has engaged a lawyer on behalf of the twelve municipalities, who will follow the file, according to 1Limburg.
The municipalities hope in this way to “limit the cross-border noise nuisance as much as possible” and want older, heavy freight aircraft such as Bierset’s Boeing 747-400 to be banned.
night’s rest
Mayor Mark Vos van Riemst recognizes the economic importance of the airport, on which some 9,000 jobs depend. “We are absolutely not against the airport, but we do want to guarantee the night’s sleep for our residents.”
According to Vos, the number of heavy cargo aircraft using Bierset has almost doubled in recent years.
Bierset is one of the largest cargo airports in Europe. The airport is open day and night and is suitable for the largest aircraft.
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