Brussels Airport Company confirmed on 27 January that the Flemish and federal governments have formally launched the European ‘Balanced Approach’ (BA) procedure for aircraft-noise management. The step is crucial: in July 2024 Belgium’s Council for Permit Disputes annulled the airport’s previous environmental permit, ruling that caps on flight movements and night operations had been imposed without first completing the BA consultations required under EU Regulation 598/2014. The annulment did not halt airport operations, but it left the hub without a compliant long-term operating licence beyond June 2029.
The newly launched BA process will unfold in four stages—noise-impact assessment, consultation on possible measures (from quieter aircraft to operating restrictions), cost-benefit analysis and formal decision. Brussels Airport, airlines, air-traffic provider Skeyes, local municipalities and resident groups will all be at the table. The timeline is tight: authorities aim to agree a legally watertight permit well before the 30 June 2029 deadline to provide planning certainty for carriers scheduling fleet and route development.
Why this matters for global mobility managers: without a valid permit, the airport’s capacity growth (and potentially certain night-time long-haul slots) could be frozen, limiting seat availability for assignees and corporate travellers. The BA process offers an avenue to balance connectivity with community concerns, but could still yield new slot caps, steeper departure routes or higher landing fees for noisier aircraft—costs that airlines may pass on to passengers.
![Brussels Airport Starts EU ‘Balanced Approach’ Process to Secure New Environmental Permit]()
For travel planners juggling these uncertainties, VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can remove at least one variable from the equation. The platform streamlines Schengen, work, and residence-permit applications, provides real-time status tracking, and issues alerts on regulatory changes that could affect itineraries—helping companies keep assignments on schedule even if future noise rules alter flight availability at Brussels Airport.
Companies with Belgium-bound mobility programmes should (1) monitor consultation milestones; (2) engage via industry bodies such as BECI or the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium to argue for predictable slot allocations; and (3) map alternative routings via Amsterdam or Paris in case capacity is constrained in peak seasons.
For the wider EU aviation market, the Brussels case will be watched closely: it is one of the first major hubs forced to re-run a BA procedure after a court annulment, and the outcome could set precedents for other noise-sensitive airports such as Dublin and Vienna.
The newly launched BA process will unfold in four stages—noise-impact assessment, consultation on possible measures (from quieter aircraft to operating restrictions), cost-benefit analysis and formal decision. Brussels Airport, airlines, air-traffic provider Skeyes, local municipalities and resident groups will all be at the table. The timeline is tight: authorities aim to agree a legally watertight permit well before the 30 June 2029 deadline to provide planning certainty for carriers scheduling fleet and route development.
Why this matters for global mobility managers: without a valid permit, the airport’s capacity growth (and potentially certain night-time long-haul slots) could be frozen, limiting seat availability for assignees and corporate travellers. The BA process offers an avenue to balance connectivity with community concerns, but could still yield new slot caps, steeper departure routes or higher landing fees for noisier aircraft—costs that airlines may pass on to passengers.
For travel planners juggling these uncertainties, VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can remove at least one variable from the equation. The platform streamlines Schengen, work, and residence-permit applications, provides real-time status tracking, and issues alerts on regulatory changes that could affect itineraries—helping companies keep assignments on schedule even if future noise rules alter flight availability at Brussels Airport.
Companies with Belgium-bound mobility programmes should (1) monitor consultation milestones; (2) engage via industry bodies such as BECI or the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium to argue for predictable slot allocations; and (3) map alternative routings via Amsterdam or Paris in case capacity is constrained in peak seasons.
For the wider EU aviation market, the Brussels case will be watched closely: it is one of the first major hubs forced to re-run a BA procedure after a court annulment, and the outcome could set precedents for other noise-sensitive airports such as Dublin and Vienna.
