Committee fails to find solution for Brussels Airport border control queues
The Consultation Committee, comprising representatives of Belgium’s governments, has failed to reach an agreement on tackling long waiting times at Brussels Airport.
The queues at border controls have long been a subject of debate. Flemish minister president Matthias Diependaele has already asked federal Interior minister Bernard Quintin on several occasions for additional aviation police officers.
There is also an infrastructure problem, Quintin told the press on Monday. “There are only six booths, with room for a maximum of 12 officers. I can’t just stack them up, can I?” he said to De Standaard.
The Consultation Committee discussed the issue on Tuesday. No solution was reached, but Quintin’s office described the talks as “constructive”. “The conclusion is clear: all stakeholders will continue to work together to eliminate waiting times in a structural manner.”
A working group set up by Quintin is tasked with developing the solutions and will meet again on 27 May. The Flemish government is the majority stakeholder of the airport, located in Zaventem, Flemish Brabant.
According to Diependaele, there is willingness to act on the infrastructure. “But building more booths if they are not staffed is, of course, pointless,” he told VRT after the meeting. “There is a willingness to build something if there is also a guarantee that police officers will actually be deployed. Otherwise, there is little point in building anything. We still need to sit down and discuss this.”
There was also no agreement on the noise pollution that residents of northern Brussels municipalities have been experiencing for months due to the intensive use of the RNP 07L approach route.
#FlandersNewsService | Passengers at passport control at Brussels Airport, June 2025 © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
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