Noise quotas in Charleroi: Wallonia sets the evaluation and exemptions

The Walloon Government established, by an order of October 22, 2026, the procedure for evaluating noise quotas for Charleroi airport as well as the modalities for exemption from their consumption. The text was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on November 9, 2026, page 59760, under reference C − 2026/008122. It was signed in Namur by the Minister-President A. DOLIMONT and by the Minister of Energy, the Air-Climate Plan, Housing and Airports C. NEVEN, upon the proposal of the latter.

A capital of points distributed per airport user

The order implements Article 1bis of the decree of June 23, 1994, relating to the creation and operation of airports and airfields falling under the Walloon Region, most recently amended by the decree of June 4, 2026. It specifies the operational concepts of the system: the global QC (maximum quantity of noise over the year), the QM (maximum noise quota per movement, at takeoff QM-D and at landing QM-A) and the points (P) consumed within the framework of the global QC.

The maximum number of points available to a user, the QCmax, is calculated based on the average number of aircraft they base at Charleroi during the year in question, according to a formula set in Article 1 (coefficient 22, factor 3,500), rounded to the second decimal place. The global QC is granted from January 1 to December 31 of each year and its use is subject to monthly monitoring:

• no later than the 7th day of each month, the operator estimates the number of based aircraft based on flight schedules and verifies the estimate from the previous month;
• monthly points are granted per based aircraft, according to the formula P(x) = 22 x 12 relative to the QC, with a positive or negative balance being carried over to the following month;
• if the actual points for a month are lower than the carried-over negative balance, the concerned airport user is directly notified;
• the Commandant of Charleroi Airport ensures that no user consumes more points than the number to which they are entitled, and the operator submits an annual report to the Monitoring Committee.

A six-member monitoring committee

The Monitoring Committee referred to in Article 1bis, § 3, paragraph 8, of the decree ensures the annual monitoring of point consumption and projections. It submits a report to the Government each year containing, for each user, an analysis of annual consumption and a projection for the following year. Its composition is fixed as follows:

• one member appointed by the Société wallonne des Aéroports;
• one member appointed by the Service public de Wallonie – Mobilité et Infrastructures (S.P.W. – M.I.), who shall serve as chairperson;
• one member appointed by the Independent Authority responsible for the control and monitoring of airport noise nuisances in the Walloon Region;
• one member appointed by the Charleroi airport management company;
• one member appointed by the Minister for Airports;
• one member appointed by the Minister for Spatial Planning.

Another official from the S.P.W. – M.I. shall provide the secretariat. The committee meets once a year, in person or remotely, upon electronic convocation, and proposes internal regulations to the Government, which then adopts them.

Triennial evaluation and exemption regime

Upon the proposal of the Minister for Airports, the Government shall carry out a triennial evaluation of the global QC and the QMs relating to aircraft movements at Charleroi. In view of technological developments in the aviation sector, it shall decide whether to maintain or reduce the quotas; in the event of a reduction, it shall set new global QCs or QMs and adjust the QCmax for each user.

Article 6 outlines the three exceptional situations allowing for an exemption from the consumption of points:

• a geopolitical context making the usual operation of the airport impossible or preventing based aircraft from adhering to scheduled times;
• air traffic control constraints under Eurocontrol management disrupting airspace or operating hours;
• a major disaster of natural or human origin significantly disrupting traffic on the network managed by Eurocontrol.

In these cases, the Government shall decree the exemption for a duration it determines and may grant it retroactive effect.

Scope

The mechanism is accompanied, in the same issue of the Belgian Official Gazette, by a second Walloon decree of October 22, 2026 (C − 2026/008149) amending the regime of administrative sanctions against aircraft noise: notably, the minimum fine increases from 200 to 800 euros, with a ceiling of 10,000 euros and a scale increased according to the extent of the exceedance in decibels. For companies based in Charleroi, the challenge is twofold: managing a monthly capital of points calculated based on their based fleet, and documenting any exceptional event to hope for an exemption validated by the Government. For local residents and the airport management company, the text establishes a triennial review meeting for the downward revision of quotas and a public annual report to the Government.

• Official source: Belgian Official Gazette, 196th year, No. 255, Monday, November 9, 2026, p. 59760, decree of the Walloon Government of October 22, 2026, C − 2026/008122.