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Antwerp Airport must not close and may even continue to grow, albeit with Flemish subsidies

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Antwerp airport must not close and may even continue to grow. This is evident from a report on the future of the three regional airports approved by the Flemish government on Friday. The opposition calls it a missed opportunity to make “the logical decision“, namely a closure of the airport.

The regional government of Flanders approved a vision paper outlining the future of the three Flemish regional airports: Antwerp, Ostend-Bruges and Kortrijk-Wevelgem.

This was especially looked forward to in Antwerp, whose future had been uncertain. Unlike Ostend, this airport does not handle any cargo and operates on private flights and a limited number of scheduled flights. It has been losing money for years.

The government has now decided that the airport may continue to develop within the possibilities of the current environmental permit. An increase in the number of scheduled flights and business flights is recommended.

Flanders is counting on sustainability, for example by adapting airport tariffs c on the basis of emissions and aircraft noise and by encouraging sustainable fuels.

Ostend-Bruges Airport may also increase the number of passengers and further develop its cargo activities. Kortrijk-Wevelgem may continue to develop as a business airport.

Flanders will investigate whether the air traffic at the three regional airports can be managed by one single remote control tower to save costs.

The socialist opposition calls the vision statement a “missed opportunity to make the logical decision“, namely a closure. “The only way to make the airports profitable is to increase the nuisance even more.

The Greens also react with incomprehension. “This is a slap in the face to anyone who counts on smart investments in mobility and open space. There is another airport about half an hour by train from Antwerp.

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