Aviation
The Walloon government limited the number of flight movements in Liège to a maximum of 55,000 per year.
The auditor of the Council of State issued a negative opinion on the permit for Liège airport at the end of February. If that advice is followed, the airport – crucial for cargo – would have to stop its activities overnight, writes the newspaper L’Echo.
At the beginning of last year, the Walloon government renewed the permit for Liège airport. The number of flight movements was limited to a maximum of 55,000 per year. That number came after political negotiations: the competent minister initially wanted to allow a maximum of 50,000 flights per year. However, the motivation for the permit still refers to the lower number of 50,000. Various parties, including a number of Limburg and Dutch municipalities, Flanders and some environmental movements, appealed to the Council of State against the new permit.
According to the newspaper L’Echo, the auditor of the Council of State has now recommended that the permit, which runs until 2040, be annulled. The advice is not binding, but is often followed. And so there is unrest at the airport, which sent a warning to the Walloon government. Liège Airport asks to rectify the situation without waiting for the legal decision. This analysis is also shared by the Walloon Minister of Airports, Adrien Dolimont. According to him, renegotiating the number of annual flight movements is not necessary, although Ecolo would like to do so, according to L’Echo.
Appropriate solutions
“We are fully aware of the situation at Liège Airport and are doing our utmost to find appropriate solutions,” Walloon Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (PS) said on Wednesday during question time in the Walloon Parliament. He stated that it is not clear when the Council of State will complete studying the auditor’s advice. “In the meantime, the offices of the ministers involved are reviewing the possible consequences and the procedures to respond in the event of a cancellation,” Di Rupo said.
“I must also tell you that experienced lawyers we question sometimes have different opinions,” said the Socialist, who assured that the region “attaches great importance to the activities of Liège airport, in accordance with the rules, including those regarding the environment.”
2024-04-10 16:12:47
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