Why do planes land at Charleroi Airport after 11 PM if it's a day airport?

A legal exemption lets aircraft based at CRL — mostly Ryanair's fleet — land after 11 PM for 'operational reasons' such as weather, air-traffic delays or technical issues, counted against an annual quota-point budget. The residents' association Stop aux Nuisances tallied roughly 1,597 late arrivals in 2023 and about 1,580 in 2024. The €800 fine per infraction was reportedly never applied in 2024, and a 2026 Walloon decree would raise the late-arrival budget to 3,500 quota points — about 50% above 2024 usage.

Which areas around Charleroi Airport are worst for aircraft noise?

Gosselies (the airport sits on its territory), Ransart just off the runway 06 end, Heppignies under the north-east centerline, and Viesville under the south-west climb-out are the most exposed. The September 2025 revision of the official Plan d'Exposition au Bruit widened the noise zones on the Ransart side. Charleroi's own city centre, 5 km south of the east-west runway axis, is largely off-corridor. Drop a pin on the map above to check any address.

What are the noise zones (Plan d'Exposition au Bruit) around Charleroi Airport?

Wallonia maps four zones by long-term average noise — zone A (Lden 70 dB or more), B (65–70), C (60–65) and D (55–60). The zone your home falls in determines eligibility for SOWAER's resident-aid programme, from soundproofing grants up to property buyouts in the innermost zones. The sixth revision, published in September 2025, widened zones on the Ransart side of the runway.

How do I complain about aircraft noise from Charleroi Airport?

SOWAER Environnement runs the resident helpdesk for Walloon airports — call the free number 0800 90 111 or use sowaer.be/aides-aux-citoyens. Regulatory oversight of trajectories and sanctions sits with ACNAW, the Walloon airport-noise control authority. Logging where and when the noise hits helps; the pin-drop map above shows the actual traffic over your address.

Does Ryanair fly over Gosselies and Ransart all day?

Traffic at CRL is heavily concentrated in waves — a bank of Ryanair departures from 6:30 AM and dense arrival banks in the last hours before 11 PM, with quieter mid-morning and mid-afternoon lulls. On the prevailing south-westerly winds, arrivals descend over Fleurus, Heppignies and Ransart while departures climb out over Viesville and Roux. When winds swing easterly the pattern reverses and Ransart and Heppignies get the departures.

Is Charleroi Airport getting bigger and noisier?

The runway was extended by 650 m at the 24 end in October 2021 (about 3,200 m of pavement), passenger numbers hit 10.5 million in 2024, and the July 2025 environmental permit runs for 20 years. The 6:30 AM–11 PM window was kept, but the contested 2026 noise decree would raise the post-11 PM arrival budget by roughly 50% versus 2024 usage — so the pressure point is night flights, not the daytime window.

Which is quieter to live near — Charleroi city centre or Fleurus?

Charleroi's city centre, about 5 km south of the runway axis, sees little direct overflight. Fleurus centre sits under the runway 24 arrival line-up at moderate altitude — audible but far less intense than Heppignies or Wangenies closer in. If you're comparing specific streets, drop a pin on the map above for flight counts and noise estimates at each address.

Does this map cover all flights at Charleroi Airport?

Coverage of CRL's commercial traffic — overwhelmingly Ryanair 737s and Wizz Air A320-family jets — is effectively complete, since modern airliners broadcast their positions continuously. Some light general-aviation and training traffic from the Gosselies aerodrome side may be under-represented, but it contributes little to the noise picture compared with the airline waves.

Brussels Charleroi Flight Path Noise Map – Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL)

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

Aircraft noise around Brussels Charleroi in October 2026

Loudest neighborhoods near Brussels Charleroi: Gosselies, Ransart, Heppignies (Fleurus), Viesville (Pont-à-Celles). Quietest: Mellet (Les Bons Villers), Charleroi city centre (Ville-Basse). Busiest around 3 PM local time averaging 266 flights/day. Source: Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 30 days to 2026-10-19.

Flights by hour · last 30 days

12a6a12p6p

Average daily traffic

266

flights / day · 7,974 total

Busiest hour

3 PM

peak 90 dB

Loudest hour

1 PM

peak 93 dB

Loudest residential area

Viesville (Pont-à-Celles)

74 dB avg · ~205 flights/day · Loud conversation

Close-in under the south-west climb-out from runway 24, the most-used departure direction

Does Brussels Charleroi Airport have a curfew?

Yes — a legally mandated day-airport window, 6:30 AM to 11 PM. But a based-aircraft exemption lets roughly 1,600 flights a year land after 11 PM.

Charleroi is licensed as a day airport under its Walloon environmental permit — movements are authorised only between 6:30 AM and 11 PM, seven days a week, a window the regional government confirmed when it granted a new 20-year permit in July 2025. Shoulder-hour movements (6:30–7 AM and 10–11 PM) are further capped at 5 noise-quota points per movement, and the noisiest aircraft categories are banned outright. On paper that makes Charleroi stricter than most European airports its size. In practice there is a large loophole — aircraft based at CRL may land after 11 PM under “operational” exemptions (weather, air-traffic delays, technical issues), and residents’ association Stop aux Nuisances counted roughly 1,597 such late arrivals in 2023 and about 1,580 in 2024, with the €800 fine for infractions reportedly never once applied. A Walloon noise decree advancing in 2026 would raise the annual late-arrival budget to 3,500 quota points — roughly 50% above 2024 usage — a change opposition politicians and residents call a weakening of protection dressed up as regulation. The gap between the official curfew and the nightly reality is the defining feature of the noise debate here.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL/EBCI) is Belgium’s second-busiest airport — 10.5 million passengers in 2024 — and Ryanair’s main Belgian base, sitting at Gosselies in Wallonia, 46 km south of Brussels and just 5 km north of Charleroi’s centre. It is officially a day airport: Walloon rules confine movements to 6:30 AM – 11 PM. But low-cost scheduling squeezes waves of Ryanair rotations into the first and last hours of that window, so the loudest overflights hit Gosselies, Ransart and Heppignies at breakfast and bedtime — and a legal exemption lets aircraft based at CRL land after 11 PM, roughly 1,600 times a year, with the €800 fine for infractions reportedly never applied. That gap between the curfew on paper and the night reality, plus a contested 2026 decree that would raise the late-arrival budget, is what dominates the local noise debate.

Which neighborhoods are quietest — and which aren’t

Charleroi has a single runway, 06/24, oriented north-east to south-west and extended by 650 m at the 24 end in October 2021 (about 3,200 m of pavement, with per-direction declared distances of roughly 2,905–3,055 m). One runway means the noise geography is simple and unforgiving: everything funnels through two corridors — north-east over Ransart, Heppignies and Fleurus, and south-west over Viesville, Roux and toward Courcelles.

Area	Aircraft noise	Why
Gosselies	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Airport sits on its territory; sideline ground noise plus both headings
Ransart	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Just off the 06 end; 2025 PEB revision widened zones here
Heppignies	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Directly under the NE centerline — 24 arrivals, 06 departures
Viesville	✈︎✈︎✈︎	Under the SW climb-out from runway 24, the most-used departure end
Roux	✈︎✈︎	Nearly on the extended 24 centerline
Jumet	✈︎✈︎	Close but south of the axis; sideline and early-turn noise
Wangenies	✈︎✈︎	NE approach corridor at moderate altitude
Fleurus (centre)	✈︎✈︎	Runway 24 arrivals line up overhead
Courcelles	✈︎✈︎	Western edge of the SW corridor; varies with departure turns
Thiméon	✈︎✈︎	North of the SW corridor, slightly off-centerline
Mellet	✈︎	North of the corridor; occasional vectoring only
Charleroi centre	✈︎	5 km south of the axis; largely off-corridor

The exposure map has official confirmation in Wallonia’s Plan d’Exposition au Bruit (PEB) — four zones by long-term average noise (A at Lden ≥70 dB, B 65–70, C 60–65, D 55–60) that determine eligibility for SOWAER’s soundproofing grants and, in the innermost zones, property buyouts. The sixth PEB revision in September 2025 widened the zones on the Ransart side, an official admission of where the noise actually falls. Notably, Charleroi’s own city centre (Ville-Basse) sits well south of the east-west runway axis and is one of the quieter places in the area for aircraft noise — the city that names the airport hears less of it than villages 7 km away under the approach. For any specific street, drop a pin on the map above.

Flight patterns and runway use

Prevailing south-westerly winds make runway 24 the workhorse. Arrivals descend from the north-east — lining up over Fleurus, then Wangenies, Heppignies and Ransart at progressively lower altitude — while departures climb out south-west over Viesville and Roux before turning onto their standard departure routes near Courcelles. When winds swing easterly, runway 06 reverses the picture: arrivals come up the Courcelles–Roux corridor and departures blast out north-east over Ransart and Heppignies toward Fleurus.

Traffic is overwhelmingly low-cost — Ryanair’s based fleet plus a Wizz Air operation — which shapes the noise clock more than the runway does. Based aircraft fly out early and come home late, so the day starts with a dense departure bank from 6:30 AM and ends with arrival waves pressing against (and past) the 11 PM limit.

Noise management here is regulatory rather than procedural: the noisiest ICAO Annex 16 aircraft categories are banned outright, and movements in the shoulder periods (6:30–7 AM and 10–11 PM) are capped at a maximum noise quota of 5 points per movement, which effectively restricts those hours to quieter types. ACNAW, the Walloon airport-noise control authority, oversees trajectories and sanctions; SOWAER runs the fixed noise-monitoring network and the resident-aid programme tied to the PEB zones. Enforcement is the sore point — per residents’ association Stop aux Nuisances, 2024 brought 237 sonometer breaches and around 1,580 post-11 PM landings, with zero fines applied.

When is it quietest?

Charleroi’s day-airport window plus its low-cost wave structure produce a distinctive daily rhythm:

11 PM – 6:30 AM: officially closed — but not silent. Based aircraft landed after 11 PM roughly 1,580–1,600 times a year in 2023–24 under the operational exemption, so a late Ryanair arrival over Fleurus–Heppignies–Ransart (or Courcelles–Roux in easterlies) around 11 PM–midnight is a regular event, not a rarity.
6:30 – 8 AM: the heaviest departure bank of the day as the based fleet launches. Under the SW climb-out (Viesville, Roux) this is the loudest stretch of the morning.
Mid-morning to mid-afternoon: moderate, with lulls between rotation waves — noticeably calmer than the bookends.
Late afternoon – 9 PM: rotations return; arrival traffic builds over the north-east corridor.
9 – 11 PM: dense arrival waves racing the 11 PM limit — for Heppignies, Ransart and Fleurus this is often the most intense period of the whole day.

Wind direction decides who hears each phase: south-westerlies (most days) put morning departures over Viesville/Roux and evening arrivals over Fleurus/Heppignies/Ransart; easterlies flip both. The pin-drop tool above shows the hourly profile for your exact address.

How to check noise at your specific address

The map above answers “how loud is this street?” in three steps:

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

The Noise Heatmap layer (orange/red = louder) and Route Density layer (purple/magenta = busier corridors) make the single runway’s two-corridor pattern obvious — a bright band running north-east through Ransart, Heppignies and Fleurus and south-west through Viesville and Roux. If you’re weighing an address in the high-exposure ring, check the 9–11 PM hours specifically: that’s where Charleroi’s arrival waves — and the post-11 PM stragglers the curfew doesn’t quite stop — show up. For soundproofing or buyout eligibility, cross-check your PEB zone with SOWAER (free helpdesk 0800 90 111).

Frequently asked questions

Why do planes land at Charleroi Airport after 11 PM if it's a day airport?: A legal exemption lets aircraft based at CRL — mostly Ryanair's fleet — land after 11 PM for 'operational reasons' such as weather, air-traffic delays or technical issues, counted against an annual quota-point budget. The residents' association Stop aux Nuisances tallied roughly 1,597 late arrivals in 2023 and about 1,580 in 2024. The €800 fine per infraction was reportedly never applied in 2024, and a 2026 Walloon decree would raise the late-arrival budget to 3,500 quota points — about 50% above 2024 usage.
Which areas around Charleroi Airport are worst for aircraft noise?: Gosselies (the airport sits on its territory), Ransart just off the runway 06 end, Heppignies under the north-east centerline, and Viesville under the south-west climb-out are the most exposed. The September 2025 revision of the official Plan d'Exposition au Bruit widened the noise zones on the Ransart side. Charleroi's own city centre, 5 km south of the east-west runway axis, is largely off-corridor. Drop a pin on the map above to check any address.
What are the noise zones (Plan d'Exposition au Bruit) around Charleroi Airport?: Wallonia maps four zones by long-term average noise — zone A (Lden 70 dB or more), B (65–70), C (60–65) and D (55–60). The zone your home falls in determines eligibility for SOWAER's resident-aid programme, from soundproofing grants up to property buyouts in the innermost zones. The sixth revision, published in September 2025, widened zones on the Ransart side of the runway.
How do I complain about aircraft noise from Charleroi Airport?: SOWAER Environnement runs the resident helpdesk for Walloon airports — call the free number 0800 90 111 or use sowaer.be/aides-aux-citoyens. Regulatory oversight of trajectories and sanctions sits with ACNAW, the Walloon airport-noise control authority. Logging where and when the noise hits helps; the pin-drop map above shows the actual traffic over your address.
Does Ryanair fly over Gosselies and Ransart all day?: Traffic at CRL is heavily concentrated in waves — a bank of Ryanair departures from 6:30 AM and dense arrival banks in the last hours before 11 PM, with quieter mid-morning and mid-afternoon lulls. On the prevailing south-westerly winds, arrivals descend over Fleurus, Heppignies and Ransart while departures climb out over Viesville and Roux. When winds swing easterly the pattern reverses and Ransart and Heppignies get the departures.
Is Charleroi Airport getting bigger and noisier?: The runway was extended by 650 m at the 24 end in October 2021 (about 3,200 m of pavement), passenger numbers hit 10.5 million in 2024, and the July 2025 environmental permit runs for 20 years. The 6:30 AM–11 PM window was kept, but the contested 2026 noise decree would raise the post-11 PM arrival budget by roughly 50% versus 2024 usage — so the pressure point is night flights, not the daytime window.
Which is quieter to live near — Charleroi city centre or Fleurus?: Charleroi's city centre, about 5 km south of the runway axis, sees little direct overflight. Fleurus centre sits under the runway 24 arrival line-up at moderate altitude — audible but far less intense than Heppignies or Wangenies closer in. If you're comparing specific streets, drop a pin on the map above for flight counts and noise estimates at each address.
Does this map cover all flights at Charleroi Airport?: Coverage of CRL's commercial traffic — overwhelmingly Ryanair 737s and Wizz Air A320-family jets — is effectively complete, since modern airliners broadcast their positions continuously. Some light general-aviation and training traffic from the Gosselies aerodrome side may be under-represented, but it contributes little to the noise picture compared with the airline waves.

Sources and further reading

Heures d'ouverture de l'aéroport de Charleroi — ACNAW (Walloon airport noise control authority)
6ème révision des Plans d'Exposition au Bruit (PEB) autour des aéroports wallons — SOWAER
Aéroport de Charleroi — carton rouge pour le respect des conditions d'exploitation en 2024 (ASBL Stop aux Nuisances) — La Dernière Heure
Aéroport de Charleroi — Ecolo accuse le gouvernement wallon de "tromperie" avec son décret de régulation du bruit — La Dernière Heure
Brussels South Charleroi Airport — Wikipedia
The runway extension of Brussels South Charleroi Airport is inaugurated — Aviation24.be

Data updated 2026-10-19 — live ADS-B monitoring, rolling 30-day statistics (methodology). Article text revised 2026-07-17.

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 Charleroi Flight Path Noise Map – Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL)

Aircraft noise around Brussels Charleroi in October 2026

Does Brussels Charleroi 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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