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Airport News, "DHL threat fuels Brussels night flight row"
Friday, January 7, 2000
DHL threat fuels Brussels night flight row
By Robin Pomeroy
BRUSSELS, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A potential threat by express courier firm DHL
to move its European hub away from Brussels International airport if a
proposed night flight ban is enforced on Friday added fuel to the
controversy over the move.
``If they can not fly at night, which is a core part of their business it
isn't possible to stay at Brussels,'' a source close to DHL told Reuters.
There were already signs the Belgian government may temper a controversial
order by Green Transport Minister Isabelle Durant that night flights be
phased out by mid-2003 in order to combat noise pollution.
Durant's ministerial decree, announced earlier this week, surprised her
coalition colleagues causing Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, a Liberal, to
intervene to prevent it from becoming law, an official governmnent source
told Reuters.
On Friday, the Liberal minister in charge of public holdings and business,
Rik Daems met Durant to defuse the situation.
Following the meeting, Daems called on majority state-owned Brussels airport
management company BIAC to propose alternative anti-noise measures before
the cabinet discusses the issue on January 14.
Daems said Friday's meeting with Durant had been called to calm the debate
so that ministers could have a constructive dialogue on the issue.
``The ministers share the view that a...solution to this matter should be
found quickly, a solution that will reconcile the economic, employment and
environmental imperatives and the development of airport activities,'' Daems
said in a statement.
Durant ordered that from January 1 next year, the noisiest wide-bodied
aircraft be banned between 2300 and 0700 local time. By mid-2003 no flights
will be allowed between 0100 and 0500 local time. Exceptions to the new
rules could be made in the case of humanitarian aid flights or at times of
particularly heavy traffic.
BIAC said on Friday its legal experts believed Durant's ministerial order
had no legal base. A BIAC spokesman told Reuters the company would now look
to put together an alternative solution.
It has long been discussing with freight forwarding company DHL, local
residents and the government how to reduce night-time noise.
DHL management told union representatives at a meeting on Thursday evening
that the company would pull out of Brussels if Durant's ban was enforced,
the source close to the company told Reuters.
According to BIAC 8.8 percent of flights, almost entirely by cargo aircraft,
take place at night.
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