There were 192,257 flight movements at the airport last year, a further recovery after three years impacted by the corona crisis. But compared to 2019, before the corona pandemic, the number of flight movements was still 18 percent lower.
Noise pollution in the municipalities around the airport is closer to 2019 levels. Aviation consultant To70 Belgium calculated that last year 89,215 people lived in a zone with a noise load of at least 55 decibels, 8 percent less than in 2019.
Not everyone experiences a certain noise level as annoying. The number of ‘potentially highly inconvenienced’ people is therefore calculated each time using a complex formula. In 2023 there were 13,432, more than 14 percent more than in 2022 and 7.2 percent less than in 2019.
Sound-efficient appliances
The noise impact is concentrated over five municipalities: Machelen (with 2,825 ‘potentially highly inconvenienced’ residents), Zaventem (2,225), Brussels City (1,830), Steenokkerzeel (1,725) and Evere (1,542). Together they accommodate three quarters of all ‘potentially highly inconvenienced people’.
Brussels Airport expects that noise pollution will decrease in the coming years, despite the expected growth in passengers and cargo, and in the number of local residents. By 2032, the number of potentially highly inconvenienced people would be 12 percent lower than in 2019, which corresponds to approximately 12,700.
This is possible because more and more flights will be operated with the “most modern and noise-efficient aircraft” and thanks to the use of quieter landing techniques, the airport recently stated.
Tags: Noise pollution Brussels Airport approaching precorona levels
