Is Diegem under the Brussels Airport flight path?

Yes — Diegem sits just off the western ends of the parallel runways (25R/25L), about 2.5 km away, which puts it directly under daytime westbound departures and approaches. In the usual south-westerly wind, take-offs on runway 25R climb out over Diegem and Machelen on a west-south-west heading. It is one of the most consistently affected areas around the airport. Drop a pin on the map above to see the exact flight count over your street.

Why are Kraainem and Wezembeek-Oppem so affected by aircraft noise?

Both lie under the runway 19 departure corridor. In south-westerly wind, runway 19 is the preferential take-off runway at night and on weekends, sending departures south directly over Kraainem and Wezembeek-Oppem. This routing has been one of the most disputed in Belgium, with residents reporting very high noise levels and courts imposing penalties on the operator. Use the pin-drop tool above to check the timing and frequency over your address.

What is the Brussels Airport spreading plan?

Because the airport straddles the border between Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region, departures are deliberately spread across multiple runways and routes to share the noise burden between communities rather than concentrating it on one. Combined with the Preferential Runway System (PRS), this means the runway in use can change with the time of day, the day of the week and the wind — so a given suburb may get bursts of traffic at some times and quiet at others.

Which areas around Brussels Airport are quietest?

Areas well off the main south-west departure corridor and the east-north-east arrival centreline see the least overflight — Grimbergen to the north-west, Tervuren to the south, and the far end of the 25L approach around Everberg. The hardest-hit areas are immediately west of the runways (Diegem, Machelen), on the north-east boundary (Steenokkerzeel), and under runway 19 to the south (Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem). The map above lets you check any specific address.

How do I report aircraft noise at Brussels Airport?

Complaints go to the Federal Mediation Service for Brussels Airport (airportmediation.be), the federal Ombudsman that handles noise complaints and monitors compliance with the night and noise rules. It publishes annual figures on breaches — including the 6,000-plus regulatory breaches recorded in 2025. The airport operator and air traffic control (skeyes) handle the operational side, but complaints are channelled through the mediation service.

Why does Brussels Airport route flights over residential areas instead of over water?

There is no over-water option — the airport is inland near the centre of the country, so every departure and arrival route crosses densely populated areas. That is precisely why the spreading plan exists: with no empty corridor to absorb the noise, the only lever is to distribute it across runways and routes between the Flemish and Brussels-Capital communities, which is also why the flight-path dispute has lasted four decades.

When does runway 19 get used, and who does it affect?

Runway 19 (departures heading south) is the preferential take-off runway at night and on weekends in south-westerly wind, and it also comes into use in strong southerly winds. It routes climb-out traffic over Brussels' eastern periphery — Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem and Sterrebeek are the most affected. This is the routing at the centre of the long-running noise litigation around the airport.

Brussels Flight Path Noise Map – Brussels Airport (BRU)

Name: Aircraft noise observations near Brussels Airport
Creator: Flight Path Noise
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Aircraft noise around Brussels in October 2026

Loudest neighborhoods near Brussels: Diegem, Steenokkerzeel, Machelen, Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem. Quietest: Everberg, Tervuren, Grimbergen. Busiest around 1 PM local time averaging 630 flights/day. Source: Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 30 days to 2026-10-18.

Flights by hour · last 30 days

12a6a12p6p

Average daily traffic

630

flights / day · 18,905 total

Busiest hour

1 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest hour

1 PM

peak 95 dB

Loudest residential area

Diegem

80 dB avg · ~574 flights/day · Busy traffic

Immediately off the western (25R/25L) runway ends, directly under daytime westbound departures and approaches

Does Brussels Airport have a curfew?

Partial — no full night ban, but night slots are capped and quota-limited.

as of 2026 there is no full night-flight ban. The night period runs 23:00–05:59 local, and instead of a ban the airport uses a yearly cap of 5,000 departure night slots, a noise-quota (Quota Count) system, weekend-night periods with no take-off slots, and a ban on the noisiest Chapter 3 aircraft between 23:00 and 06:59. The federal Ombudsman reported these rules were breached over 6,000 times in 2025. A stricter mandatory curfew has been proposed but is not yet in force and is opposed by IATA and the airport operator.

Brussels Airport at Zaventem (BRU/EBBR) sits unusually close to dense residential suburbs on the north-east edge of the capital, about 12 km from central Brussels. Its noise story is defined less by a hard curfew than by one of Europe’s most politically contested flight-path disputes. Because the airport straddles the border between the Flanders and Brussels-Capital regions, departures are deliberately spread across multiple runways and routes to share the burden between communities — a system known locally as the “spreading plan” — yet four decades of conflict have followed. The prevailing south-westerly wind means aircraft usually take off to the west-south-west, sending departure noise over the city’s eastern municipalities, while a separate night routing over runway 19 sends traffic south. Crucially, Brussels has no full night-flight ban; it relies instead on noise quotas and a yearly cap on night movements that the federal Ombudsman reported were breached over 6,000 times in 2025.

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Brussels Airport has three runways in a Z-shaped layout: two parallels, 07L/25R (3,638 m, the longest and main preferential runway) and 07R/25L (3,210 m), plus the transverse 01/19 (2,987 m). In the dominant south-westerly wind the west-facing ends are preferential: 25R for departures, 25L for arrivals, and 19 for night and weekend take-offs heading south. That geometry, not distance from the terminal, decides which areas are loud.

Area	Aircraft noise	Why
Diegem	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Off the western runway ends; under daytime 25R/25L departures and approaches
Steenokkerzeel	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Wraps the north-east boundary, under 07/25 approach and departure paths
Machelen	✈︎✈︎✈︎	On the airport’s western edge, under WSW climb-out from 25R
Kraainem	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Under runway 19 night/weekend southbound departures
Wezembeek-Oppem	✈︎✈︎✈︎	On the runway 19 departure corridor; affected when 07L/25R is unavailable
Nossegem	✈︎✈︎	Under the ENE final approach to runway 25L
Kortenberg	✈︎✈︎	On the extended approach centreline to 25L
Zaventem (centre)	✈︎✈︎	South of the parallels; side and turn noise more than overflight
Sterrebeek	✈︎✈︎	Runway 19 departures and turning traffic
Vilvoorde	✈︎✈︎	Catches some 25 departures and 01-config traffic
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe	✈︎✈︎	Turning departures from 25R; partly shielded
Everberg	✈︎	Far end of the 25L approach; aircraft high
Tervuren	✈︎	Largely off the main corridors
Grimbergen	✈︎	Off the primary SW-departure and ENE-arrival paths

If aircraft noise is a primary concern, the practical move around Brussels is to stay off the south-west departure corridor and the east-north-east arrival centreline — areas like Grimbergen, Tervuren, and the outer reaches of the 25L approach beyond Kortenberg sit clear of the heaviest traffic. The hardest-hit areas form a ring immediately west of the runways (Diegem, Machelen), on the north-east boundary (Steenokkerzeel), and south under runway 19 (Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem). Because the spreading plan shifts traffic between runways by time and day, the only reliable way to gauge a specific street is to drop a pin on the map above.

Flight patterns and runway use

The wind at Brussels Airport blows predominantly from the south-west, so the preferential runways face west. Under the Preferential Runway System (PRS) and the federal spreading plan, daytime departures mostly use runway 25R heading west-south-west, while runway 25L handles most arrivals on a final approach from the east-north-east over Kortenberg and Nossegem.

When the wind shifts, controllers change configuration. If tailwind exceeds 7 knots or crosswind exceeds 20 knots, strong easterly or north-easterly winds bring runways 07L/07R and 01 into use — departures and approaches reverse to the east — and strong southerly winds bring runway 19 into play during the day. At night and on weekends, runway 19 is the preferential departure runway in the usual south-westerly wind, sending take-offs south over the eastern periphery (Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem, Sterrebeek) — the routing at the centre of the long-running litigation.

There is no over-water option: every route is overland across populated areas, which is exactly why departures are deliberately spread across runways to distribute noise between the Flemish and Brussels-Capital communities. Noise-abatement measures include low-noise approaches with a steeper descent angle, a Quota Count limit per movement, a night ban on marginally compliant Chapter 3 aircraft, and seasonal quotas capping total night-time departure noise. The route-density layer on the map above shows the cumulative result: a bright corridor running west-south-west from the parallels, the arrival centreline coming in from the east-north-east, and a distinct southbound band tracing the runway 19 night routing.

When is it quietest?

Without a full curfew, Brussels does not have the hard overnight silence that airports like Sydney or London Heathrow enforce. The quiet windows here are shaped by slot caps and runway choice rather than a ban:

Night (23:00 – 05:59): much reduced, but not silent. Departure night slots are capped at 5,000 per calendar year, and a Ministerial Decree imposes weekend-night periods during which no take-off slots are allocated — so Friday and Saturday nights are the quietest. The noisiest Chapter 3 aircraft are banned between 23:00 and 06:59.
Early morning (06:00 – 07:00): the night restrictions lift and the first departure bank builds quickly.
Morning peak (07:00 – 10:00): heaviest departures, mostly on runway 25R to the west-south-west.
Midday: sustained, moderate traffic.
Evening arrival bank (17:00 – 21:00): peak arrivals on 25L from the east-north-east over Kortenberg and Nossegem.
Late evening (21:00 – 23:00): tapers ahead of the night period.

The variable that matters most locally is which runway is active. A wind shift to the east flips departures onto 07, putting traffic over areas that were previously quiet, while the switch to runway 19 at night moves the burden squarely onto the southern suburbs. For the hourly profile at your address, drop a pin on the map above.

How to check noise at your specific address

The map above answers the question “is this spot loud?” Three steps:

Search your address or postcode in the bar at the bottom of the map.
Drop a pin — click the location marker that appears.
Read the noise report in the sidebar: average daily noise (Leq), peak observed dB, flights per day passing within 2 km, and an hourly breakdown.

The Noise Heatmap layer (orange/red = louder) and the Route Density layer (purple/magenta = busier corridors) make the spreading-plan pattern visible — the west-south-west departure band, the east-north-east arrival centreline, and the southbound runway 19 routing all stand out. Most addresses outside the ring of high-exposure areas (Diegem, Machelen, Steenokkerzeel, Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem) fall into the quieter zone for daytime noise, though the lack of a full night ban means overnight exposure is worth checking separately.

To file a complaint or follow the night-flight debate, contact the Federal Mediation Service for Brussels Airport (airportmediation.be), the federal Ombudsman that logs noise complaints and monitors compliance with the slot caps and Quota Count rules.

Frequently asked questions

Is Diegem under the Brussels Airport flight path?: Yes — Diegem sits just off the western ends of the parallel runways (25R/25L), about 2.5 km away, which puts it directly under daytime westbound departures and approaches. In the usual south-westerly wind, take-offs on runway 25R climb out over Diegem and Machelen on a west-south-west heading. It is one of the most consistently affected areas around the airport. Drop a pin on the map above to see the exact flight count over your street.
Why are Kraainem and Wezembeek-Oppem so affected by aircraft noise?: Both lie under the runway 19 departure corridor. In south-westerly wind, runway 19 is the preferential take-off runway at night and on weekends, sending departures south directly over Kraainem and Wezembeek-Oppem. This routing has been one of the most disputed in Belgium, with residents reporting very high noise levels and courts imposing penalties on the operator. Use the pin-drop tool above to check the timing and frequency over your address.
What is the Brussels Airport spreading plan?: Because the airport straddles the border between Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region, departures are deliberately spread across multiple runways and routes to share the noise burden between communities rather than concentrating it on one. Combined with the Preferential Runway System (PRS), this means the runway in use can change with the time of day, the day of the week and the wind — so a given suburb may get bursts of traffic at some times and quiet at others.
Which areas around Brussels Airport are quietest?: Areas well off the main south-west departure corridor and the east-north-east arrival centreline see the least overflight — Grimbergen to the north-west, Tervuren to the south, and the far end of the 25L approach around Everberg. The hardest-hit areas are immediately west of the runways (Diegem, Machelen), on the north-east boundary (Steenokkerzeel), and under runway 19 to the south (Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem). The map above lets you check any specific address.
How do I report aircraft noise at Brussels Airport?: Complaints go to the Federal Mediation Service for Brussels Airport (airportmediation.be), the federal Ombudsman that handles noise complaints and monitors compliance with the night and noise rules. It publishes annual figures on breaches — including the 6,000-plus regulatory breaches recorded in 2025. The airport operator and air traffic control (skeyes) handle the operational side, but complaints are channelled through the mediation service.
Why does Brussels Airport route flights over residential areas instead of over water?: There is no over-water option — the airport is inland near the centre of the country, so every departure and arrival route crosses densely populated areas. That is precisely why the spreading plan exists: with no empty corridor to absorb the noise, the only lever is to distribute it across runways and routes between the Flemish and Brussels-Capital communities, which is also why the flight-path dispute has lasted four decades.
When does runway 19 get used, and who does it affect?: Runway 19 (departures heading south) is the preferential take-off runway at night and on weekends in south-westerly wind, and it also comes into use in strong southerly winds. It routes climb-out traffic over Brussels' eastern periphery — Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem and Sterrebeek are the most affected. This is the routing at the centre of the long-running noise litigation around the airport.

Sources and further reading

Airport Infrastructure (runways and layout) — Brussels Airport Company
Brussels Airport — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
How meteo affects runway usage (Preferential Runway System) — Brussels Airport Traffic Control (skeyes)
Local Rules BRU (night period, slot caps, Quota Count) — Brussels Airport Coordination (brucoord)
Breaches of night flight and noise standard regulations a regular occurrence at Brussels Airport — VRT NWS
Federal Mediation Service for Brussels Airport — FPS Mobility and Transport

Data updated 2026-10-18 — live ADS-B monitoring, rolling 30-day statistics (methodology). Article text revised 2026-05-30.

30 dB	Whisper
45 dB	Quiet residential
55 dB	Normal conversation
65 dB	Busy road
75 dB	Vacuum cleaner
85 dB	Heavy traffic
95 dB	Motorcycle nearby

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Brussels Flight Path Noise Map – Brussels Airport (BRU)

Aircraft noise around Brussels in October 2026

Does Brussels Airport have a curfew?

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Flight patterns and runway use

When is it quietest?

How to check noise at your specific address

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

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