BRUSSELS – Charleroi airport is set to expand by the summer of 2007 after receiving planning permission from the Wallonian regional government.

The permission may signal a turn in fortune for the regional airport, which has been the centre of controversy over illegal state aid to budget airline Ryanair.

The building project will mean a further EUR 61 million investment into the airport.

Planning for the extension will be carried out by the Wallonian airport society (SOWAER) and will begin in the coming weeks.

The new terminal will replace the existing one and will be situated behind the current runways.

It will be able to receive three million visitors, compared to the one million capacity of the current airport terminal.

Recently as many as two million passengers have passed through the airport.

Architects say the new building will not only have more space but will be serviced with numerous shops and facilities to make the stay at the airport more comfortable.

A new parking lot will be able to fit 5,000 cars, and a new hangar will also be built to hold ten average-sized planes.

If the renovations make Charleroi the country’s second biggest airport, it is hoped that 700 jobs will be created.

New airlines are also expected to be attracted to the enlarged airport.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news