Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Antwerp Airport has imposed a ban on all touch-and-go flights through the end of 2025, citing operational concerns and community impact, officials confirm.
This is because Antwerp has nearly surpassed the maximum number of training flights allowed. The airport is presently determining whether to submit an application for an environmental permit amendment. Touch-and-go flights are a crucial part of training, so flight schools are thinking about how to move forward.
A “notam”—a notice to airmen—was published last week. It says that because of environmental constraints, touch-and-go flights will not be allowed again until December 31, 2025. Gazet van Antwerpen reported this, and our editors have verified the information.
The flight schools at the airport are hurt by this prohibition. An essential component of flight training is a touch-and-go, which involves landing, momentarily touching down, and then taking off again.
“This will allow us to drill all the complex actions performed during take-off and landing,”
says Geert Vanhandenhove of the Royal Antwerp Aviation Club (RAAC), Belgium.
“I think everyone wants pilots to be able to take off and land properly; those are critical phases in a flight. That’s why it really needs to be drilled into them, so they can perform all actions without thinking twice.”
Such touch-and-gos are perceived as disruptive by those around them.
“They usually do several of these per flight, and they keep circling close to the airport, often flying over the same zones. This is different from a scheduled or business flight departing or arriving,”
says Stephane Pötgens, Business Unit Manager at Antwerp Airport.
The airport was granted a new environmental permit last year that restricts training flights to 16,000 flights. Thirteen thousand of these have already been finished. According to the airport’s calculations, the limit will be achieved in September if the flight schools keep up their training.
There are several reasons for this, according to Pötgens.
“The most important is that the training programs in our country are known for their high quality. So there’s a lot of demand. In addition, the weather has been very nice in the first half of the year, which has led to more flights.”
But there also appears to be a disproportion between the flights permitted in Antwerp, he adds. Besides a restriction on training flights, there’s also a restriction on touch-and-go flights.
“14,000 of those touch-and-go flights are permitted each year, and we’ve only used about half of them. But in addition, we’re allowed to conduct a maximum of 16,000 training flights, and those are almost reached.”
A touch-and-go counts as 2, because after landing, you immediately take off again and land again.
“I think it’s indeed useful to consult with the flight schools about these numbers,”
says Vanhandenhove.
Comments
7 responses to “Antwerp Airport Halts Touch-and-Go Flights in 2025”
Ah, just what we needed—an airport that’s finally taking environmental responsibility by grounding future pilots! 🛬 Who knew learning to handle a plane involved so much paperwork? Typical Belgian efficiency at its finest! 😂
Touch-and-go flights banned until 2025? Brilliant! Because nothing screams progress like grounding aspiring pilots while the rest of us are just trying not to get caught in the chaos of our own making. ✈️🙄
Seems like Antwerp Airport is really looking out for the locals—who needs pilots to practice taking off and landing anyway? 🤷♂️ Maybe they can just stick to playing flight simulator instead! 🛫💼
Oh, splendid! Just what we needed, a lovely pause on touch-and-go flights until 2025. Because nothing says “progress” like grounding future pilots while we ponder permits, right? 😂✈️
Oh, splendid news for budding aviators! Who needs practical training when we can just admire the clouds from the ground? 🛩️🙄
Touch-and-go flights banned until 2025? Brilliant move, Antwerp! Who needs experienced pilots when you’ve got a lovely quiet sky to enjoy instead? ✈️😏
Looks like Antwerp Airport is taking a page out of the “let’s make flying as complicated as possible” handbook. Who knew touch-and-go was such a hot commodity? ✈️🙄
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