Preclearance: don’t let Zaventem become one of the ‘other’ airports...

In the Chamber of Representatives, the N-VA advocated for a ‘preclearance treaty’ between Belgium and the United States for Zaventem airport. This would mean that American customs formalities would already have been completed in Zaventem before departure. The result: faster flight connections with the US, and passengers who, on arrival, are able to exit the airport just as quickly as American citizens.

For the time being, Dublin airport is the only one in Europe where this deal is in place, and that certainly hasn’t done them any harm. Naturally there are also other countries in favour of this arrangement. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte took advantage of the brief time he was allotted during the meeting with President Trump to request this for Schiphol airport.

An airport that can offer these facilities obviously has a competitive advantage, and the other airports are going to be forced to anticipate airlines leaving and job losses. So don’t let Zaventem become one of the ‘other airports’.

In the Chamber of Representatives, Minister Reynders acknowledged that the N-VA has it right all the way down the line. He indicated that the negotiations are indeed still going on. The agreement is of tremendous importance to the national airport and as coordinator, he will continue to work towards securing this agreement.