Belgium Federal Minister of Economy stated that the Brussels Government at this moment is not allowed to impose stringent noise measures for aircraft, due to procedural errors made in the Brussels regulation.
Based on this, the stringent noise measures by the Brussels Government can only be introduced at the earliest after 3 months and maybe extended to 6 months, during which time frame (stand still period), it is hoped that parties involved sit down around the table and find an agreeable and future prove the sustainable solution.
The next meeting between parties is scheduled for 20 Feb 2017 in Brussels.
IATA SFO Office is seeking contact with Belgocontrol to assess whether any amendments to the existing SIDs could be of value to mitigate the expected noise burden, if necessary.
Announcement
From 1 Jan 2017, the Brussels Capital Region Government will stringently adhere to noise measures. Departing aircraft that exceed the established noise levels when flying noise abatement procedures from the assigned runways (SIDs) will start to incur fines which can vary from 900 to 1350 Euro per event.
The Brussels Airport Authority is responsible for measuring aircraft noise at locations on the ground and will notify airlines when they have deviated from assigned SIDs and to notify when set noise levels have been exceeded.
Background
Since 2000 during the daytime it is legally allowed to surpass the set noise levels by 9 dB(A) and during the night time by 6 dB(A). Per 1 Jan 2017, these noise margins will not be applicable anymore.
Way forward
From the technical point of view, the IATA SFO office will recommend to possibly tackle the issue by organising a consultation meeting between representatives of the ANSPs BelgoControl, the BRU airport authority and of IATA / Airspace Users (AUs) to discuss any notified SID deviations and exceeded noise levels that may occur after 1 Jan 2017. This could be a handle to counteract the burden on AUs and to avoid noise violations and consequently fines.
