Objective
Develop common strategies among its partners to improve the environmental performance of airport operations.
Action
Organise collaboration and continuous monitoring.
Status and results
Launched at Brussels Airport in 2018, at Liege Airport in 2020 and at Charleroi Airport in 2021, CEM delivered very good results, including the improvement of green landings (CDO), the reduction of low-altitude holding, single-engine taxiing on the airport’s taxiways.
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.
Objective
Optimise the fuel-intensive approach phases, reduce landing noise and reduce lateral dispersion.
Action
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 and results
Liege Airport, Kortrijk Airport, Brussels South Charleroi Airport and Ostend Airport: full PBN compliant environments finalised..
Antwerp Airport: in transition (scheduled for 2026).
Brussels Aiport: transition underway and integrated into the Stargate project.
Monitoring at Liege Airport and Brussels South Charleroi Airport revealed:
- an increased precision of approaches
- une réduction de la dispersion latérale des vols
- une amélioration des performances des CDO par rapport aux approches ILS (Instrument Landing System)
- a reduction in the average levelling-off time in higher flight levels (FL 180 – FL 60)
- no levelling-off at the altitude of 2,500 feet for 80% of aircraft.
The PBN transition project at Brussels Airport has been integrated into the STARGATE project, which is co-financed by the European Union under the European Green Deal programme.
Objective
increase the predictability of the descent path, through a series of waypoints given in advance by the air traffic controller, allowing pilots to optimise the continuous descent profile (CDO).
Action
implement RNP approaches at Brussels Airport and carry out tests and evaluations to set up a gradual improvement process based on controller-pilot cooperation.
Status and results
Introduction of an RNP approach procedure for runway 07L. Ongoing completion of the full PBN compliant environment.
skeyes is involved in a major project, HERON (Highly Efficient Green Operations), which brings together ANSPs, airlines and industry and which is funded by the EU under the SESAR programme. HERON aims for a set of ambitious targets to reduce noise, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from air transport. skeyes is responsible for coordinating the tests conducted at Brussels Airport in an operational environment of the ISGS (Increased Second Glide Slope) solution.
HERON – ISGS solution
Launch
end 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 landing noise by increasing the descent angle to 3.2° and 3.5° (instead of 3° in conventional approach) for CDO (Continuous Descent Operation) approaches.
Status and results
real-world tests carried out in 2024 and 2025. The project produced interesting operational results for the continuation of the HERON project and research for greener approaches within SESAR.
airspace