Belgium Supreme Court says night flight routing illegal

[747FOCAL]

Belgian court changes policy
Flight International 06/17/03

The Brussels high court has swept aside four years of government policy by ruling that the noise abatement practice of routeing night time flights over a narrow corridor is illegal. The court ruled all Belgian citizens should share the environmental noise burden, and has ordered Belgium's federal government to devise new take-off procedures within 60 days, spreading aircraft movements over the Brussels area both day and night.


The ruling brings to an end a battle which began in 1999 when the then transport minister instigated a narrow night-time corridor that required aircraft to bank right and left during take-off and circumnavigate the city in a wide circle.


Residents north of the city and under the corridor have since been protesting and have filed a lawsuit against the minister, the federal government, the airport operator and the air traffic control agency.


Belgium's prime minister Guy Verhofstadt recently proposed his own compromise, maintaining the corridor at night, but creating several take-off routes around Brussels, but this plan will also be scrapped.


SO NOW ALL FLIGHTS LEAVING BRUSSELS WILL HAVE TO CIRCLE OVER THE WHOLE CITY BEFORE LEAVING THE AREA. :ok:

[You splitter]

What next.....

Jet ban restrictions...

BAe146 aircarft banned. Only BAC1-11 (without hush kit) now allowed. :ok:

[411A]

Spread the noise, indeed.

Can find a few really old JT4 powered 707's (Conway powered even better, but all scrap), to spread noise 'round, big time...into neighboring countries if needed.

[ecj]

I wonder if the EU had anything to do with the ruling. Human rights etc?

[coopervane]

Missed opportunity here. All that pussy footing around the city at night when you could have had a whale of a time.

Lets get the old 727,s back to BRU so they can share in the new fun.

Seems a pity to deprive the good citizens of Brussels of the sweet sound of JT8's.

Seriously though, sense seems to have prevailed at last as spreading the muck around is always better than brushing it in to a tight corner.

Coop

[Lon More]

Maastricht UAC, a quiet night duty, many years ago. A phone call from the ACC; "XYX123 comes straight to your frequency from the tower,he's released. "
The 25 DIK SID from RWY 25 was a right turnout away from the city.
"Maastricht, XYZ123 with you, rolling. May we turn left direct DIK when airborne?"
No problem, thinks I; "Left turn direct DIK approved." And for good measure, "No ATC speed restriction."
The telephone lines to the airport were very busy for a few hours afterwards.
Surprisingly, they never QSY'ed an aircraft on the ground to us again,

___________________________
Lon More, more than just an ATCO