The flight route Leuven Rechtdoor, a departure procedure for aircraft taking off from runways 07L and 07R of Brussels Airport, is causing additional departing air traffic over our region. This area is already the most overflown in the country, with approximately 100,000 landing flights annually. In 2025, an additional 7,459 departure flights via this route were added, further concentrating the nuisance over the same residential areas.
In response, Holsbeek, Rotselaar, and Haacht have initiated legal proceedings against the implementation of this flight route. The case is currently being handled by the Court of Appeal in Brussels.
Furthermore, the municipality is submitting a formal advice within the ongoing Balanced Approach procedure for the new environmental permit application for Brussels Airport. This advice requests that a fair and balanced distribution of flight routes and noise pollution be included as an essential criterion for assessing existing and developing future measures.
The municipalities emphasize that a reduction of nuisance in one region should not lead to a structural shift of that nuisance to other residential areas. They therefore call not only for the avoidance of new concentrations of air traffic but also for the reduction of existing ones. The assessment of possible measures should, in their view, include factors such as historical exposure, current distribution of nuisance, possibilities for spreading, and overall noise reduction, while maintaining safety, capacity, and operational feasibility.
A joint letter will be sent to the federal Minister of Mobility, and a complaint will be filed with Airport Mediation, the federal ombudsman service for Brussels Airport. Through this joint appeal, the municipalities are asking for a fairer and more balanced distribution of air traffic around the airport.
