The auditors of the Council of State issued a negative opinion on the permit for Liège Airport at the end of February. If followed, the airport – crucial for freight – would have to cease its activities overnight, according to the newspaper L’Echo.
Last year, the Walloon government renewed the airport’s permit, capping the number of flight movements at a maximum of 55,000 per year. This number emerged after political negotiations: the Minister of Environment, Céline Tellier (Ecolo), initially proposed allowing a maximum of 50,000 flights per year while the airport requested 70,000 flights. However, the final permit still refers to that lower number of 50,000. Various parties, including some Limburg and Dutch municipalities, the Flemish Government, and several environmental organisations, appealed to the Council of State against the new permit.
According to L’Echo, the Council of State’s auditor has now advised to annul the permit, which extends until 2040. Although non-binding, such recommendations are often followed. Hence, unrest prevails at the airport, prompting a warning to the Walloon government.
Liège Airport requests rectifying the situation without waiting for the legal decision. “The only way to avoid a cessation of airport activities in the event of cancellation of the single permit of January 31, 2023, is the drafting, without delay, of a new permit by the Walloon government,” warns the airport board of directors.
This analysis is also shared by the Walloon Minister of Airports, Adrien Dolimont (MR). According to him, renegotiating the number of annual flight movements is unnecessary, although Ecolo reportedly wishes to do so, according to L’Echo.
