On June 20, 2023, a court case will begin in Antwerp regarding the construction of traffic areas at Antwerp Airport on agricultural land. The airport or those responsible sometimes face criminal consequences because the public prosecutor's office has filed charges.

Specifically, the aircraft used by Tui Belgium need the entire length of the comparatively short runway. Since the safety reserves are undercut, a safety perimeter, which also includes a road used by the airport's service vehicles, was built. This ensures that the machines can take off and land safely.

However, with this construction project, the airport also drew the ire of environmentalists, who have been calling for the closure of Antwerp Airport for many years. The simple reason: the "buildings" were erected on areas that are formally designated as agricultural land. In other words: Put simply, it is a “black building”.

In Belgium, too, this would actually be an administrative matter that would at most concern administrative courts and not the public prosecutor's office. The latter, however, received numerous complaints about allegations that they cheated in obtaining the necessary environmental permit. On June 20, 2023, the proceedings before the responsible court will be opened. The procedure is expected to take longer because there are many open questions to be clarified.

In the event that it should be decided in the last instance that it is actually a "black building", it would have to be removed and the original condition restored. This would result in Tuifly Belgium no longer being able to use the current aircraft. The airport would also have to apply for the necessary environmental permit again. Environmentalists fear that the new application will simply "legalize" the current state of affairs and that nothing will change in fact.