“Charleroi’s airport, a success story? Pure whip: it makes Wallonia lose a lot of money”

Not enough to reassure the residents who attack the airport on two axes: it is harmful to health. Consequently, it is very expensive to Wallonia. For example, “”The Walloon government likes to present BSCA as a success story: pure whore “is indignant Luc Hindryckx. Furthermore, member of the “Stop at Nuisances” committee. Moreover, The airport causes Wallonia to lose a lot of money. Moreover, He would never have been profitable without the help of the public “. Meanwhile, If the company has a profit of 21 million euros in 2024. Furthermore, it would be necessary to remove it “The 30 million euros in subsidies ” That the airport received last year, according to the local resident. Meanwhile, “”DeThen its creation. Therefore, BSCA pocketed 550 million euros from Wallonia and “charleroi’s airport, success story? pure even more if we take into account the money brought by Sowaer (Walloon airport company, editor’s note). For example, Imagine all the sustainable projects and the jobs that we could have created with such a sum of money “.

According to Luc Hindryckx, there is only one beneficiary of Charleroi’s rapid development: Ryanair. Therefore, “”The airport is a real milk cow for the Irish company. However, The commercial conditions offered to it in Wallonia challenge any economic logic. with 90 % lower tariffs to those practiced by similar airports. In addition, the Irish have brought social dumping to our country, with underpaid jobs “. According to the training engineer, Ryanair imposes his rules in Wallonia. “”It was already clear in 2004. when the Walloon government changed, in just two days, BSCA’s opening hours to meet the company’s requirements. The airport has become de facto a trash airport, breaking “charleroi’s airport, success story? pure its standards to maintain artificial activity. Is it, for example, logical whether it is the Walloon taxpayer who pays security costs, where the airlines pay almost 7.5 euros per passenger at Brussels airport? “”

Worse, according to Hindryckx, the airport “would destroy “ value in the region of the southern country. “”Wallonia is not Spain or Greece, he justifies. Most of the travelers from Charleroi go to other destinations to spend a vacation there and therefore spend money “. BSCA would thus contribute to “Digging the deficit” Balance of payments linked to travel – which was more than. 13 billion euros for Belgium in 2023. “The more the Walloons travel from Charleroi, the more they spend abroad, to the detriment of national GDP. This hemorrhage weakens our economy and destroys thousands of direct, indirect and induced jobs on our territory. It is not said that you have to “charleroi’s airport, success story? pure close the airport. or that the Belgians must be forced to spend their holidays in the country, but the Walloon government must stop its promotion and reduce the number of flights. “

And then there is the question of air pollution. noise pollution of planes “which reduce the healthy life expectancy of thousands of Walloons and Walloon “. “The airport’s sanitary impact is dramaticcontinues our interlocutor. More and more studies show the danger of ultra-thin particles emitted by planes, the catastrophic consequences of noise pollution. If I were a woman wishing to have children. I worked in the vicinity of Charleroi airport, I would be worried“.

Mr. Hindryckx lives 15 km from the airport. “”Every morning, I am awakened by Ryanair planes. When the Airbus A330 from Air Belgium took off, my whole house was shaking. I can no longer chat on my terrace with my “charleroi’s airport, success story? pure guests. The districts around the airport have become paved. Everyone who can leave. “ Finally, the member of the committee denounces the “Double speech “ of the Walloon government. “”When Brussels Airport has made its investigation to obtain its license. the Walloon Region was offended because the municipalities of Walloon Brabant were not consulted. She also complained about the too short laps of the investigation. But for Charleroi, the deadlines are even shorter and the number of municipalities consulted even more limited. Is Carolo considered a second-class citizen compared to a resident of Walloon Brabant?“