Brussels Airport has started construction on a new aircraft engine testing facility designed to reduce noise from post-maintenance run-up checks while keeping essential safety procedures in place. The more than €15 million project will feature a U-shaped ground run-up enclosure with 15-metre acoustic barriers and is being built to accommodate large widebody aircraft including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
The site covers about 8,000 square metres on a tarmac area where obsolete buildings were removed. Brussels Airport expects the enclosure to cut engine-testing noise by up to 10 decibels, a level it describes as roughly halving perceived loudness for nearby residents in Humelgem and Steenokkerzeel. The first phase includes foundations and paving, followed by installation of the noise barriers.
Engine run-up tests are required after maintenance before aircraft return to service, making the facility operationally important for the airport as traffic and maintenance activity continue. Arnaud Feist, the airport’s chief executive, has been involved in local reporting on the project, which is intended to balance safety requirements with community noise mitigation.