The Consultation Committee or Consultative Committee (Overlegcomité), which includes representatives from Belgium’s governments, has yet to agree on a solution to the persistent long queues at Brussels Airport’s border controls. The issue has been a subject of debate for over a decade, with Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) repeatedly urging Federal Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) to deploy additional aviation police officers.
Quintin acknowledged an infrastructure problem, noting that there are only six booths, with space for a maximum of 12 officers. A working group, established by Quintin, is tasked with developing solutions and is set to meet again on 27 May.
The Flemish Government, as the majority stakeholder in Brussels Airport, has expressed willingness to invest in infrastructure, but Diependaele emphasised that building more booths would be pointless without a guarantee of additional staffing.
The committee’s discussions on 19 May were described as constructive by Quintin’s office, with all stakeholders agreeing to continue collaborating to address the waiting times structurally. However, no resolution was reached on the noise pollution affecting residents of northern Brussels municipalities due to the intensive use of the RNP 07L approach route.
The queues have also sparked tension between the federal and Flemish governments. Quintin argued that the long waiting times are not solely due to staff shortages but also insufficient infrastructure, for which Brussels Airport, and thus the Flemish government, is responsible.
Vincent Houssin of the liberal police union VSOA / FFGA warned that some are trying to turn the issue into a political game, adding that the problem has persisted for over a decade despite past promises of additional personnel and the introduction of e-gates.
Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist previously raised concerns that the queues pose a safety risk and damage Belgium’s image. He stated that the airport has been warning about the issue for years. A union source at the airport noted that building more booths would be useless without sufficient staff and that police officers are not being deployed efficiently. Another source highlighted that the control work has become more complex due to the need to check biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial scans.
The queues are particularly severe in the mornings when most intercontinental flights arrive, bringing many passengers whose travel documents require manual checks. A union source suggested that the airport operator allows too many flights at the same time and that better coordination with the slot coordinator, an independent body managing take-off and landing times, might be necessary.
Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt’s (CD&V) office reported that biometric checks have been temporarily suspended during peak times due to technical issues and the resulting queues.
Currently, only travellers from four trusted countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore – can use the automatic border control. Expanding this list is under consideration.
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