SYNERGY-DRIVEN efficiency

skeyes is equipped with the most advanced technological tools and provides cutting-edge training for its operational staff.

However, this is not enough to ensure the flawless efficiency of air traffic, which depends on the coordinated actions of multiple stakeholders. This is why skeyes cooperates, collaborates, provides collaborative tools and procedures and creates synergies with its customers and partners to deliver the most efficient services and ensure precise punctuality and a limited environmental impact.

PUNCTUALITY :
PERFORMANCE TARGETS ACHIEVED

The punctuality of an aircraft is dependent on many factors, some of which can be controlled by air navigation management (grouped under the acronym CRSTMP - C-Capacity, R-Routing, S-Staffing, T-Equipment, M-Airspace management, P-Special events) and some - such as the weather - that are beyond anyone’s control. Others are dependent on airport services. In all circumstances, in flight or on arrival at an airport, skeyes manages traffic in order to keep delays to a minimum and thus reduce costs for its customers, waiting times for their passengers and the environmental impact.

As a member of FABEC, skeyes has to make a quantified individual contribution to FABEC’s overall performance in terms of En-route capacity as provided for in the performance plan for the 3rd reference period (2019-2024). Punctuality reflects the ability of an air navigation service provider to meet traffic demand. The indicator is the average En-route ATFM delay per flight for all causes. In addition, skeyes must also achieve a punctuality target for arrivals at Brussels Airport.

COMPARISON OF THE AVERAGE EN-ROUTE DELAY PER FLIGHT IN FABEC (ALL CAUSES COMBINED) WITH PERFORMANCE TARGETS

Target (min/vol) Result(min/vol)
99.4% flights were managed in a punctual manner by skeyes in 2024. skeyes maintains a high level of performance year after year.
0,12 min/vol = 7.2 seconds average En-route delay per flight

This is the En-route punctuality performance target defined in the FABEC performance plan. This is the target for skeyes and represents its contribution to both FABEC and European network performance. This indicator takes all causes of delay into account, such as weather, not just those that skeyes can control (CRSTMP).

0,08 min/vol = 4.8 seconds average En-route delay per flight

Skeyes’ actual En-route punctuality performance for all causes. This was the best performance in FABEC.
Target achieved for skeyes, which contributed positively to the performance of FABEC (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France and Switzerland) in terms of punctuality.

1,64 min/vol = 98,4 seconds delay per flight

Average En-route ATFM delay per flight in FABEC airspace for all causes. In 2023, FABEC did not achieve its target of limiting En-route delay for all causes in its airspace to 0.37 minutes per flight. Nevertheless, FABEC was able to control the delay generated by ATM in its airspace since it was reduced by 0.46 minutes per flight compared with 2023.
FABEC comprises six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland) and manages more than 55% of European air traffic. skeyes’ performance in terms of En-route punctuality helped reduce the average En-route delay in FABEC.

0,06 min/vol = 3,6 seconds average En-route delay per flight (CRSTMP causes) performance taking into account only causes under skeyes’ control (CRSTMP).
5800 minutes of delay that skeyes has saved its customers compared with 2023.
22% Proportion of weather conditions in all causes of En-route delay generated by skeyes in 2024.

ARRIVAL DELAYS AT AIRPORTS: COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE

To assess the performance of air navigation in terms of airport punctuality, only arrivals are taken into account. The timely departure of an aircraft is dependent on many other factors - such as ground services (baggage, refuelling, etc.) - which are beyond skeyes’ control, but which are coordinated with skeyes based on the Airport CDM (Collaborative Decision Making) concept through an information exchange application - AMS (Airport Movement System) - developed by skeyes.

BRUSSELS AIRPORT: PUNCTUALITY THAT ATTRACTS

1,08 min/vol = 64,8 secondes

Average arrival delay target for all causes assigned to skeyes for Brussels Airport and included in the FABEC performance plan. Brussels Airport is the only Belgian airport for which a punctuality performance target has been set in the FABEC performance plan for the 3rd reference period of the Single European Sky (2020- 2024).

0,28 min/vol
= 16,8seconds average delay per flight on arrival at Brussels Airport for all causes.

Skeyes' actual punctuality performance at Brussels Airport.

34% reduction in delays at Brussels Airport compared with 2023..
91% of causes of delay at Brussels Airport are not due to skeyes’ actions.
64% of causes of delay are due to weather conditions at Brussels Airport.
0,02 min/vol = 1,2 seconde

This is the average delay per arrival at Brussels Airport if only the causes that skeyes can control (CRSTMP) are taken into account.With its performance in terms of arrivals punctu- ality at Brussels Airport, skeyes is directly contrib- uting to the attractiveness and development of the national airport and, more broadly, the Belgian economy.

ANTWERP AIRPORT 0 min/vol = 0 seconds average delay per flight
OSTEND-BRUGES AIRPORT 0 min/vol = 0 seconds average delay per flight
BRUSSELS SOUTH CHARLEROI AIRPORT 0,02 min/vol = 1,2 seconds average delay per flight
LIEGE AIRPORT 0 min/vol = 0 seconds average delay per flight

Weather conditions are the sole cause of arrival delays at Liege Airport (100%).

COMPARISON OF ARRIVAL DELAYS AT BRUSSELS AIRPORT AND AT THE LARGE NEIGHBOURING AIRPORTS (ALL CAUSES COMBINED).

REDUCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF AVIATION

skeyes is very committed to reducing the environmental impact of aviation. Although the potential contribution of air traffic management to such a reduction is estimated at only 6%, each action helps the overall effort. To achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, skeyes continues to implement its Environmental Action Plan, develops projects, applies new procedures and works with its partners. All phases of a flight - ground movements, take-offs, En-route, approaches and landings - are optimised to reduce fuel consumption and noise..

EN-ROUTE:
AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE IDEAL TRAJECTORY

Reducing the environmental impact of aviation is one of the objectives of the Single European Sky legislation. The FABEC performance plan therefore provides for a performance indicator that consists of measuring the horizontal En- route flight efficiency (KEA – Key Performance Environment Indicator based on Actual trajectory). This indicator applies only to FABEC as a whole and compares the actual trajectory followed by an aircraft, the trajectory planned in the flight plan and the shortest route provided by the Network Manager (EUROCONTROL). The result is a score that corresponds to the horizontal flight inefficiency, i.e. a percentage deviation from the most environmentally-friendly ‘ideal route.

For skeyes, the room for manoeuvre for En-route is reduced by the structure of the airspace it manages: confined, limited to an altitude of 7,500 metres and crossed by numerous areas reserved for military personnel with whom skeyes coordinates space sharing by applying the Flexible Use of Airspace principle.

7% The horizontal flight inefficiency score has improved by 7% in FABEC since 2019, highlighting the effectiveness of cooperation and environmental measures.
3% This is the horizontal inefficiency threshold for flights that FABEC must not exceed under its performance plan.
3,08% Actual horizontal flight inefficiency score in FABEC in 2024. FABEC is only just missing its very ambitious target, given the density of traffic to be managed and the complexity of its airspace.
96,92% horizontal flight efficiency in FABEC. Most flights in FABEC follow the most ecological route.
96,52% In Belgian airspace, the vast majority of flights take the most efficient route.
11% The improvement since 2019 in Belgian airspace has been 11%.
3,48% Inefficiency score in 2024 in Belgian airspace jointly managed by skeyes (for lower airspace below 24,500 feet) and the EUROCONTROL MUAC centre (for upper airspace).

GROUND MOVEMENTS

Coordinating activities at the airport to effectively manage traffic flows also has a positive impact on fuel consumption and therefore on emissions, local air quality, noise and costs for airlines. Aircraft engines are started up at the right time and waiting times on taxiways are kept to a minimum.

93,8% of departing aircraft at Brussels Airport have received approval to start up their engines at the expected time (TSAT – Target Start-up Approval Time)
98,2% of aircraft at Brussels Airport taxied between the runway and their stand in less than the average time required (VTT - Variable Taxi Time).

GREEN LANDINGS

(CDO - CONTINUOUS DESCENT OPERATIONS)

The approach phase is very fuel intensive. In a conventional approach, the aircraft descends in stages. To avoid stages and reduce aircraft consumption, controllers can manage air traffic so that aircraft can be landed using the Continuous Descent Operation (CDO) procedure. The CDO - also known as green landing - is an operation in which the aircraft descends continuously, employing minimum engine thrust to the greatest possible extent, depending on the characteristics of the flight and the air traffic situation. This enables a reduction in noise pollution, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

NUMBER OF CDOS IN ABSOLUTE TERMS RELATIVE TO NUMBER OF ARRIVALS IN 2023

81% of landings followed the green landing procedure at Brussels Airport in 2024 (+1.3% compared with 2023).
69% of landings followed the green landing procedure at Liege Airport in 2024 (+7% compared with 2023).
73% of landings followed the green landing procedure at Brussels South Charleroi Airport in 2024 (+1.5% compared with 2023).

Working closely with partners in Collaborative Environmental Management (CEM), skeyes has developed new environmental indicators for CDOs. The average time taken to level off below altitudes of 10,000, 6,000 and 3,000 feet is recorded in order to study targeted improvements.

COOPERATING AT ALL LEVELS FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION

COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (CEM)

skeyes cooperates with airlines and airports in order to take joint initiatives that reduce the environmental impact of airport operations.

PERFORMANCE BASED NAVIGATION

Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is the future of air navigation. It is based on satellite technology while conventional air navigation is based on beacons and ground equipment. Satellite navigation enables aircraft to follow very precise point-to-point trajectories (waypoints) with expected benefits for safety, cost efficiency and, of course, the environment.

NATIONAL PBN IMPLEMENTATION AND TRANSITION PLAN

Objective : make Belgian airports full PBN compliant environments

Action : replace conventional procedures with RNAV1 and RNP APCH procedures.

Status :

  • Liege Airport and Kortrijk Airport: full PBN compliant environments completed
  • Brussels South Charleroi Airport: launched in 2022. Scheduled for completion in 2025.
  • Brussels Airport, Ostend Airport, Antwerp Airport: launched in 2023, ongoing.

STARGATE

RNP APPROACH AT BRUSSELS AIRPORT

The PBN transition project at Brussels Airport has been called STARGATE and is co-financed by the European Union as part of the European Green Deal programme. An initial series of tests of RNP approach procedures brought together the partners of the STARGATE project, including skeyes, between May and September 2022, in order to assess the frequency of use as well as the positive impacts from the point of view of number of kilometres travelled as well as fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution.Based on these results, a second series of tests was carried out from November 2023 to February 2024. The final report was published in October 2024.

HERON

skeyes is involved in a major project, HERON (Highly Efficient Green Operations), which brings together ANSPs, airlines and industry and is funded by the EU under the SESAR programme. HERON has set ambitious targets to reduce noise, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from air transport.

As part of this project, skeyes is responsible for coordinating the tests conducted at Brussels Airport in an operational environment of the ISGS (Increased Second Glide Slope) solution. The aim is to increase the descent angle of CDO approaches in order to reduce the noise on landing.

HERON – ISGS SOLUTION

Launch : end of 2022.

Participants : skeyes (coordinator), Brussels Airport Company, Brussels Airlines, TUI, DHL, Vueling, EUROCONTROL and Airbus (technical support).

Financing : co-financed by the European Union (SESAR programme).

Objective : reduce the noise on landing by means of a descent angle increased to 3.2° or 3.5° (instead of 3° in a conventional approach) for CDO (Continuous Descent Operations) approaches.

Status : tests in real-world conditions carried out in 2024 and 2025.

GREENATM LABEL :
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

In November 2024, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisa- tion (CANSO), the global voice of the air traffic management industry, awarded Level 3 of its GreenATM environmental ac- creditation programme to skeyes for the second consecutive year. In 2023, skeyes was one of the first air navigation service providers to obtain this label in Europe. This renewal of the Level 3 label - the highest level achieved to date - confirms that skeyes is taking structural measurable steps towards sustainable air navigation. skeyes aims to achieve the 5th and highest level in the near future.

« The aim of the HERON project is to demonstrate how aviation’s environmental footprint can be reduced with innovative solutions.»

Erol Cetiner, Manager Sustainable Aviation a.i., skeyes

« At Brussels Airport, we demonstrate the Second Increased Glide Slope (ISGS) concept with steeper descent approaches of 3.2° or 3.5° instead of 3.0 »

Erik Watzeels, SESAR Development Manager, Brussels Airport

« During the trials the approaches with steeper slopes were flown in order to reduce the noise impact during final approach, as well as fuel burn and CO2 emissions.»

Kseniia Kozhevnikova, ATM Environment Expert, skeyes

Connected Innovation

Working closely with its partners, skeyes is shaping the future of airspace management.

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