Makeover for information website for local residents of Brussels Airport
skeyes and Brussels Airport have developed a new version of the BATC.be information website: as of now, visitors will find a wide range of additional functionalities as well as useful information about runway use, weather observations and forecasts, radar tracks, noise measurements and many statistics.
Under the name of Brussels Airport Traffic Control (BATC), skeyes and Brussels Airport Company have been informing the general public since early 2015 about the runways in use at the airport. Both companies have commonly developed a new version of the website. From now on, BATC.be presents many new features and additional information.
Meteorological data and statistics
A weather section has been added to the website, allowing visitors to consult weather observations and forecasts related to the airport and its runways in real time on BATC.be at any given time. For aviation safety reasons, wind (direction and speed) is one of the determining factors in the complex runway selection process.
Statistics are the other major new feature of the website. They are presented in a simple and clear manner. No need to download technical reports anymore to learn more about airport movements, runways in use, noise contours and "green landings": all these figures can be displayed in different forms with just a few mouse-clicks. Radar tracks showing aircraft flight paths are available much more quickly, after a technical delay of only 15 minutes instead of 60 minutes, as was the case with the old version of the site.
The new website’s homepage displays the main BATC information at a glance: an overview of the runways currently in use at Brussels Airport as well as a forecast of the most likely configuration for the coming hours. In addition, BATC.be provides didactic information on the airport, its infrastructure, the different actors, the runway selection process, the influence of the weather as well as a glossary.
A pioneer in Europe
Boasting all these new features, BATC.be proves to be one of the European airport websites that puts the most operational data at the disposal of the general public with regard to runway selection, radar tracks, noise contours and especially regarding weather observations and forecasts.
Researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) have benchmarked information websites from more than 80 airports and air navigation service providers around the world. They have also consulted representatives of Brussels Airport's local residents' committees. skeyes and Brussels Airport Company were guided by their work to develop the new version of the BATC.be website.
Johan Decuyper, skeyes CEO: “By putting its operational data at the disposal of the general public, skeyes demonstrates its commitment to transparency. Our company is aware of its societal role and wants to provide all the information necessary for a better understanding of our activities. With this renewed website we will even become one of the pioneers in Europe in some areas. Runway selection is a complex operation that depends on many factors. The top priority of skeyes and our air traffic controllers is to ensure the safety of air traffic.”
Arnaud Feist, Brussels Airport Company CEO: “The need to access verified and certified information, combined with the growing interest in Brussels Airport and its activities, confirm the importance of providing the general public with readily available and clear information. With the revamped BATC.be website, we offer all interested parties and our local residents even more relevant and easily accessible data in just a few clicks."
About skeyes
skeyes ensures the safety and efficiency of air traffic in Belgium 24/7. The skeyes air traffic controllers manage over 3,000 aircraft every day, which makes up over a million flight movements per year. The autonomous public company is active at the heart of Europe, in one of the busiest and most complex sections of airspace of the continent. skeyes is active at Brussels Airport and at the airports of Antwerp, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Liège and Ostend. Thanks to its CANAC 2 control centre skeyes manages the flight movements above Belgium and a part of Luxembourg up to an altitude of 7,500 metres (*).
The company relies on its nearly 900 experienced staff members who are at the service of their customers: airline companies, airports, the aviation sector and the authorities. skeyes also develops innovating services regarding drones and contributes to a sustainable future of the aviation sector, among other things with respect to the environment.
skeyes is a member of FABEC, a joint airspace block (Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland) with the aim of improving air navigation efficiency in the heart of Europe in the framework of the Single European Sky.
www.skeyes.be
(*) The upper airspace of the Benelux countries and North West Germany is managed jointly with the EUROCONTROL centre in Maastricht.
About Brussels Airport Company
Brussels Airport is one of the largest airports in Europe, handling 24,8 million passengers and 536,000 tonnes of freight annually. Brussels Airport links the European capital with 238 destinations worldwide that are served by 76 different airlines. (figures 2017).
Brussels Airport caters for the specific needs of the business travellers, and also has the largest low-fare offer in Belgium.
Brussels Airport is the second most important centre of economic growth in Belgium providing direct and indirect employment for 60,000 people.
Brussels Airport is operated by Brussels Airport Company. The shareholders are the Belgian State (25 percent) and a consortium of private investors (75 percent).
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Brussels Airport Media Office: media@brusselsairport.be / +32 (0)2 753 53 53