The complaint concerns the sale of a building owned by Belgocontrol near the North Station in Brussels in 2007 – after Belgocontrol had been made into an autonomous government agency with its own finances. Belgocontrol made €40 million from the sale, but €20m had to be handed over to the state, with a bill for another €10m still outstanding.

This is in breach of EU rules, which state that the money raised has to remain within Belgocontrol, claimed Vincent De Vroey of the AEA. As a result of the government’s taking the lion’s share of the money raised, AEA members are being forced to pay increased tariffs to Belgocontrol, which is forced to ask more to make up the loss.

Federal mobility minister Etienne Schouppe, meanwhile, defended the government’s right to the money, as the building was government property. He blamed the rising tariffs for airlines on the 10% pay increase given to Belgocontrol staff last year. Last month, staff at Belgocontrol at Zaventem stopped work for several hours in protest at increased pressure of work.

www.aea.be