Berchem-Sainte-Agathe Takes Brussels Airport's 'RNP 07' Flight Path to Court
The move reopens the long-running 'survol de Bruxelles' dispute over who lives beneath the planes serving Belgium's main airport at Zaventem.
In 30 seconds
- The municipality of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe has launched legal action against the 'RNP 07' flight route linked to Brussels Airport, according to BX1.
- RNP (Required Navigation Performance) routes use satellite guidance to concentrate aircraft on a tighter corridor.
- The case is the latest episode in the long-running 'survol de Bruxelles' dispute over aircraft noise.
- Brussels Airport sits in the Flemish Region, but its traffic crosses densely populated Brussels municipalities.
The "survol de Bruxelles" is the long-running conflict over aircraft flight paths serving Brussels Airport (Brussels-National) at Zaventem in the Flemish Region. Because the airport sits just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, departing and arriving planes cross densely populated Brussels municipalities. "RNP 07" refers to a Required Navigation Performance route — a satellite-guided precision flight path — associated with runway 07. Key entities: the municipality of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe; Brussels Airport; Skeyes, Belgium's air-navigation service provider; the federal mobility administration (SPF Mobilité); and the Brussels-Capital and Flemish regional governments, which have clashed for years over noise norms.
Background
The Brussels overflight dispute stretches back roughly two decades, through successive flight-plan revisions and repeated court battles between the Brussels-Capital Region, the Flemish Region and the federal government. Brussels enforces noise norms with fines; Flanders and the aviation sector prioritise operational and safety constraints. Every rerouting — historically tied to figures and plans debated in federal government — has tended to shift noise from one set of residents to another rather than resolve it.
What to do
Residents under the corridor could see routing change depending on the ruling; the case signals that municipalities will keep using the courts where political negotiation over Brussels overflights has stalled.
Impact
Regional — Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and neighbouring western-Brussels communes sit beneath approach and departure corridors for Brussels Airport. A court ruling on the RNP 07 route could alter how traffic is distributed across the region, with knock-on effects for other municipalities depending on where planes are redirected.
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- 7 Aug 2026
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