A sector which, unlike many others, is doing very well at the moment, is freight transport. Bierset (Liège) cargo airport, for example, is recording record figures. The other side of the coin, however: for residents around this airport, noise pollution has further increased.
Isabelle lives in Donceel, 8 km as the crow flies from the airport, but aircraft noise disturbs her more and more. “These are long time slots, at night, there are planes that take off every two minutes. There are noises at first, then vibrations. I hear the library in the room shaking, the tiles vibrates in the cabinet “, explained the vice-president of the citizens’ committee of Liège airport.
It should be noted that Liège has become the official platform for the delivery of material from the WHO, the World Health Organization. That the Chinese retail giant Alibaba has established a European platform there, and that online commerce is constantly increasing, including in Belgium. Result: a record 93,000 tonnes of goods in transit at the airport, in the month of July 2020 alone!
Planes, larger and more loaded than those carrying passengers, make much more noise. So three municipalities, a priori spared according to the noise “cadastre”, decided to file a complaint: Awans, Fexhe-le-haut-clocher and Donceel:
Sowaer, which manages the development of the airport, explains that the noise is constantly analyzed, that zone reviews have already been made and that a 5th will arrive. The noise exposure zones will therefore be widened. The final goal being to modify the routes of the planes taking off towards China, the noisiest …
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