Between 2014 and 2024, the airport received at least €116.1 million in subsidies, while the Flemish government invested an additional €70.3 million in infrastructure. Despite these significant public investments, Antwerp Airport has been operating at a loss for years.
The Flemish subsidy policy for regional airports is based on figures on employment and added value that date back to 2015. When several members of parliament asked Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder this spring whether there were any more recent data, she replied that there were none. In September, the minister suddenly announced that her cabinet had had more recent figures at its disposal for months, but she minimised their usefulness. However, the new figures show clear developments, and these are by no means positive for Antwerp Airport.
This article was produced as part of the International Research Journalism programme at Thomas More, with the collaboration of Joenah Malot and the support of the Pascal Decroos Fund for Special Journalism.
Photo: © Joenah Malot