COMMISSION LAUNCHES CONSULTATION ON EVALUATION OF BALANCED APPROACH REGULATION
On 27 August, the European Commission launched a public consultation as part of its forthcoming evaluation of the Balanced Approach Regulation, which establishes rules and procedures for introducing noise-related operating restrictions at EU airports.
CLECAT welcomes this evaluation, stressing the strategic importance of air freight for Europe’s supply-chain resilience, competitiveness and connectivity. Air cargo operations rely heavily on late evening, night-time and early-morning slots to meet delivery timelines and maintain hub connectivity. Therefore, restrictions targeting these periods could have disproportionate impacts on air cargo and risk diverting traffic to non-EU airports.
CLECAT calls for operating restrictions to remain a genuine measure of last resort, with authorities first considering measures such as fleet renewal, improved flight procedures and technological solutions for noise mitigation. These assessments should take into account wider socio-economic impacts, including on air cargo connectivity, supply-chain resilience and EU competitiveness.
These positions are also reflected in the Athens Declaration, jointly endorsed by European aviation stakeholders, including CLECAT, in June 2026. The Declaration calls for the consistent implementation of the Balanced Approach and for operating restrictions to be introduced only after other noise mitigation measures have been thoroughly assessed.
The public consultation will be open until 19 November 2026.
Source: European Commission