Liege Airport will tax noisy airplanes and night flights

Under the anti-noise pollution scheme, airlines landing and taking off during dark hours will pay up to 30% more

Yesterday, authorities at Liege Airport in Belgium announced that next year they will introduce a comprehensive anti-noise pollution scheme that will benefit the local community. The airport wants to implement additional taxes for planes to prevent noise pollution.

According to an official statement, the new measure is not aimed to punish aircraft or flight operators, but instead to create incentives for more daytime travel and the use of less noisy planes. However, with the additional fees, night-time flights with particularly noisy planes could end up costing up to 30% more.

The ‘polluters have to pay’ principle

The airport’s new noise pollution policy aims to create incentives for airlines, instead of prohibiting certain activities. Currently, the mechanism for charging aircraft at the Liege Airport applies only to tonnage per aircraft. Furthermore, the airport services primarily freight flights.

The changes, however, include added charges for night flights and noisier planes. This, the administration hopes, will encourage more flights during the day, while also creating incentives for airlines to schedule their noisiest planes during times when they would cause the least sound harm to the local community.

The new fees should come into force on 1 January 2023 and have the support of local authorities like the Walloon Minister of Finances, Infrastructure and Airports, Adrien Dolimont. In fact, the decision to introduce the measures likely came after local municipalities filed noise complaints against the airport.

According to a report by VRT, the municipality of Riemst and twelve other Limburg local administrations filed a joint complaint back in May. Riemst Alderman for the Environment, Peter Neven, explained that though the development was a step in the right direction, the group is hesitant to withdraw their complaint, as the results have yet to be assessed.

Laurent Jossart, CEO of the Liege Airport, on the other hand, stated that his administration is committed to helping improve the quality of life in the airport area.