Liege Airport appeals its new environmental permit which would lead to a substantial loss of jobs and activities

Liege Airport obtained its new environmental permit at the end of last August, for a period of 20 years. It’s good news for the airport! However, some newly imposed constraints would lead to the loss of many jobs and threaten the business model of Liege Airport.

Environmental matters are complex and the operating conditions of the new environmental permit are set out in a 245-page document. Liege Airport agrees with the vast majority of the impositions despite the fact that some will be very penalising for the airport in terms of resources and means to put in place. On the other hand, the airport has a major concern with two constraints imposed on its operation.

The implementation of the new permit would lead to the loss of many jobs and threaten the business model of Liege Airport. Consequently, Liege Airport filed on 15 September 2022 an appeal before the Walloon Government relating to the provisions of the single permit of 26 August 2022 enacting operating restrictions.

Following the studies carried out by Liège Airport, it has been shown that the implementation of the environmental permit would involve a very substantial reduction in freight activity (2,450,207 tonnes in 2040 according to the business plan, 675,378 tonnes with the environmental permit), the probable departure of several companies active in the airport and the elimination of a very large number of direct and indirect jobs (the business plan provides for 18,831 jobs in 2040, vs 5,021 with the environmental permit). It therefore implies, concretely, the impossibility of development, or even a rapid halt – and not only the gradual reduction of the airport’s activities.

To this extent, the permit clearly does not correspond to an adequate compromise between the interests of local residents and those of the airport. The permit does not adequately balance the environmental and economic interests involved. However, it is settled case law that, when deciding on an application for an environmental permit, the competent authority must not only take into account the criterion of the protection of man or the environment but must carry out a balance of interests between environmental protection and the interests of the permit applicant.

The airport, therefore, filed an appeal on 15 September 2022.

However, Liege Airport remains neither deaf to the message conveyed by the permit nor insensitive to societal changes, putting more emphasis on environmental concerns. Its desire is not to stick to its initial project: the airport’s management wants to remain constructive and open to dialogue. It wishes to participate in the search for a balanced permit and contribute to the formulation of airport operating conditions compatible with an environmental, social and economic balance. Thus, it is working to draw up counter-proposals likely to guarantee the activity and reasonable development of Liege Airport over the coming years, counter-proposals which are intended to be presented to the Walloon Government within the framework of the appeal procedure.