Can Brussels Airport’s new engine-test site finally quieten its closest neighbours?
Brussels Airport is preparing a screened site for high-power engine tests that it says should halve the perceived ground-noise impact in Steenokkerzeel and Humelgem.
In 30 seconds
- Brussels Airport says high-power engine tests take place about 270 times a year and are restricted to 07:00-22:00.
- The new screened run-up site is due to be operational no later than January 2027.
- The airport expects perceived test noise in Steenokkerzeel and Humelgem to fall by about half.
- Ground operations and the environmental permit are Flemish competences; flight routes are primarily federal.
Brussels Airport Company is building a screened location where aircraft engines can be tested at high power after maintenance. The project concerns ground noise near Steenokkerzeel and Humelgem. Brussels Airport Company operates the facility; Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns oversees the regional permitting context; Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke is responsible for the separate federal policy on flight routes and aviation operations.
Background
Engine-test noise has been disputed around Brussels Airport for decades. Federal aviation-ombudsman documentation says ministerial decisions in 1988 and 1991 envisaged an enclosed engine-testing facility but were not implemented. More recently, the 2024 Flemish environmental permit required a new central run-up site by January 2027. That permit was annulled in 2025, although its effects were preserved until June 2029 while a new procedure is completed.
What to do
Residents can compare future measurements through Brussels Airport Traffic Control and submit noise complaints to the federal airport ombuds service. No change to flight routes or night-flight rules follows automatically from the new test site.
Impact
Regional — The direct impact is in Flemish Brabant, particularly Steenokkerzeel and Humelgem. Brussels may benefit only indirectly because the installation concerns ground-based engine tests rather than aircraft flying over the capital.
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