E N V I R O N M E N TA L

REPORT 2017
BRUSSELS AIRPORT COMPANY RESPONSIBLE EDITOR: FOLLOW US ON ANY QUESTIONS
COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT NATHALIE VAN IMPE OR REMARKS:
BRUSSELS AIRPORT SATELLITE WWW.BRUSSELSAIRPORT.BE COMMENTS@BRUSSELSAIRPORT.BE
1930 ZAVENTEM
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT E N V I R O N M E N TA L K E Y F I G U R E S

AIR EMISSIONS

EVOLUTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES

(COMBUSTION, GAS, HEATING OIL, DIESEL) 2010
25 000

20 000
22 668
TONNES OF ACTUAL
CO2 EMISSIONS
15 000

10 000
2016
5 000
16 345
E N V I R O N M E N TA L
0 TONNES OF ACTUAL
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CO2 EMISSIONS

ACTUAL CO2 EMISSIONS (TONNES) STANDARDISED CO2 EMISSIONS* (TONNES)

REPORT 2017
* For the standardised CO2 emission this is corrected on the basis of the outdoor temperature (correction to degree days)

WATER WASTE

TAP WATER CONSUMPTION (IN m3)

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000
2 134
TONNES OF RESIDUAL WASTE
26%
RECYCLED NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY

EVOLUTION OF TOTAL YIELD OF GREEN ELECTRICITY (IN MWh) ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION (IN GJPRIM/m2) SAVING OF

3 000 3,0 11
COMPARED
%
2 500 2,5
TO 2010
2 000 2,0

1 500 1,5

1 000 1,0

500 0,5

0 0
2010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

** Placement of first solar panels in 2011

3% OF OUR ELECTRICITY
CONSUMPTION IN 2016
THROUGH SOLAR PANELS
2 828
MWh = 808
FAMILIES
 Together for
a sustainable airport,
today and tomorrow
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT FOREWORD

A R N A U D F E I S T, C E O

FOREWORD

Over the past 5 years, we have succeeded in effectively

achieving our main environmental targets.

6

O
ver the past 5 years, we have succeeded in ef-
fectively achieving our main environmental
targets. Although Brussels Airport is doing
well in terms of the number of passengers it
welcomes, that is not to say we should be sit-
ting on our laurels. The world is constantly changing and
we want to change with it. The Strategic Vision 2040 of
Brussels Airport, which was launched in November 2016,
lays the foundation for the future
sustainable development of our
airport. In any developments and
projects, account is taken of their
potential impact on our environ-
ment and neighbours.
As an airport operator,
Our plans for 2040 are ambitious we of course cannot decide
but attainable, and we are imple-
menting them step by step. For in- everything on our own,
stance, we have now drawn up but we continue to actively
more concrete plans for the coming
five years. Our primary objective is collaborate on the
to create a framework within which
we can continue our development.
sustainable development
of our country and its
We took the voluntary initiative to
enter into an open and construc- regions.
tive dialogue with all relevant
stakeholders (political world,
neighbouring residents, interest
groups, etc.). This is an indispen-
sable condition for a transparent
and constructive collaboration and for a broad social consen-
sus regarding our Strategic Vision 2040. Sustainability is and
remains one of our most important values. Naturally this also
includes a concern for the environment and energy efficiency.
In these areas we are doing much more than merely fulfilling
the legal requirements.
In 2011 we laid down measurable objectives with regard to
energy savings and the care for the environment for the
period until 2015-2016, including a comprehensive environ-
mental and energy management programme. Today we
can state that (apart from a few minor exceptions) we have
accomplished all of the objectives of this ambitious pro-
gramme. We are now emitting even less CO2 than we had
FOREWORD E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
proposed. Our energy consumption is also lower. Compared
to 2010, we are already consuming 11% less energy.
We hope that, in the coming five years, we will do just as
well or even better. As an airport operator, we of course
cannot decide everything on our own, but we continue to
actively collaborate on the sustainable development of our
country and its regions.
Amongst other things, we have
plans for further reducing our fuel
consumption, for installing a sys-
tem for cogeneration, for heating
new buildings with heat pumps, for
optimising our heating network and
for expanding our solar panel park.
But our sustainability strategy goes
even further. For example, we have
undertaken within the European
Airports Council International (ACI
Europe) to become a carbon neutral
airport by 2018 at the latest.
Cooperation with our partners is es-
sential in order to achieve many of
our environmental and energy ob-
jectives. I am thinking here not only
of the airlines, the baggage han-
dlers and other companies active at
the airport, but also of the transport
companies and the neighbouring
municipalities. In this report we give a number of our part-
ners an opportunity to explain how they are putting sustain-
ability into daily practice.
We are also looking increasingly at co-creation as a method
for setting up sustainable projects. Co-creation is a form of
open cooperation where all of the participants are involved
in an equal manner. Speelbos, the recreational woods in
Zaventem, which we created together with several part-
ners, is a fine example. We hope in the future to be able to
pursue more such joint initiatives.
One thing is certain: together we can achieve far more than
any of us individually!
7
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT CONTENTS

14
BUILDING A
SUSTAINABLE
AIRPORT
Yves Van Hooland,
Director Infrastructure & Real Estate,
explains in detail the crucial role of
18
infrastructure in the environmental PIONEERING
WORK
and energy policy. Our largest
renovation project
of 2016

10
AN AMBITIOUS AND
BROADLY-SUPPORTED
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY

38
EVERYONE
TAKING ACTION
What the many partners of
Brussels Airport are doing, and
how we’re working together.

8
 CONTENTS E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

22
MULTITUDE
OF MEASURES
The large and small actions of Brussels Airport.

22-25 A clear focus

on noise reduction
32
MARINA BYLINSKY
(ACI EUROPE)
n More efficient aircraft de-icing
Objective zero emissions
n Biological water purification
n Going home with the right tyre pressure

36
n Not enough grass cuttings for fermentation unit
n Save time by biking

STIJN DE SMEDT n Sustainable environmental and energy management

About the airport’s new n Busy bees
mobility plan: “We have
a role-model function.” n Old grasslands full of life
n Good riddance

n Car Free Week 44 

BELGOCONTROL: Compromises so as not to compromise
the environment
n 
Operation clean-up
48 
ANB: Bird’s-eye view through safety glasses
n VMM verifies air quality
TEC4JETS: Aircraft technology or innovation in motion
54 
n NMBS transporting more people to the airport
56 TCR: We know the total CO2 impact of every piece of equipment
n Sheraton invests in energy-saving devices
n 
DHL encourages carpooling
n 
Ministry of Defence
n 
Emirates turns
initiates soil remediation project
bottles into blankets
51
ZAVENTEM, FLEMISH
n 
BRABANT AND AGENTSCHAP
Aviapartner offers trees for the planet
NATUUR EN BOS:
n 
Qatar Airways, the quietest airline    The ‘Speelbos’, a textbook example
of super collaboration

9
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT COMMITMENT

STRATEGY AND POLICY

AN AMBITIOUS
AND BROADLY-SUPPORTED
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Brussels Airport makes a major contribution to the prosperity of Brussels,
the regions and the country. Brussels Airport wishes to be able to continue to fulfil
its role as an engine of economic growth in a sustainable way.

T
he environmental policy is
structurally and systemati-
cally anchored in the air-
port’s development. For new
projects and activities, our
environmental team is kept in the loop
from an early stage. In this way, sus-
tainable building or investing becomes
a principle right from the start. The co-
operation between the different de-
partments also guarantees an environ-
mental policy that is broadly supported
within the company. In addition, our
people from the sustainability depart-
ment initiate, direct and verify numer-
ous environmental actions at and
around the airport. Not from their ivory
tower, but in constant collaboration
with other departments and the many
partners at the airport. And also with
all stakeholders in and around the air-
port, with whom we communicate in-
tensively and openly.
TANGIBLE AND MEASURABLE
The environmental policy of Brussels
Airport Company is more than words
on paper: it commits to tangible and
verifiable objectives. The airport works
with the international standards ISO
14001 for environmental management
and ISO 50001 for energy manage-
ment. In line with the renewed ISO
standards, Brussels Airport Company is
shifting the focus from procedures and
instructions to a process-driven ap-
proach.
Specifically for the energy policy, the
airport uses the principles of the Trias
Energetica: first focus on limiting
energy consumption, then increase
the share of renewable energy, and fi-
nally the most efficient possible use
of fossil fuels.
ENERGY STRATEGY
During the course of 2015, a multi­
disciplinary team, supported by outside
experts, began drafting a new energy
strategy with horizon 2030. This strategy
was endorsed by the management at
the beginning of March 2016.
The basic objectives of the energy strat-
egy are, by 2030:
- To reduce primary energy consump-
tion per m² by 25% compared to
2010.
- To increase the share of renewable
energy that is generated on our own
site to 13% of the total electricity
consumption. Today that share
amounts to 3%.
- To reduce the CO2 emissions by 40%
compared to 2010. n

10

OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCES
ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
OBJECTIVE BY 2030
-25%
RESULT IN 2016
-11%
The objective of -25% vis-à-vis the
reference year 2010 remains real-
istic. At the end of 2016 the coun-
ter is at -11%. We’re on track.
C0 2
EMISSIONS
OBJECTIVE BY 2030
-40%
RESULT IN 2016
-27%
The original objective was a reduc-
tion of 20% by 2020, with 2010 as
reference year. By the end of 2016 a
decrease of 27% had already been
achieved. This good result is partly
attributable to the purchasing of
100% green electricity. But a scale
effect also plays a role. The objective
is related to the activity at the air-
port, and this has been rising for
several years already. In the new
energy strategy, the target is
being raised to -40% by 2030.
COMMITMENT
WATER
CONSUMPTION
OBJECTIVE BY 2015-16
-10%
RESULT IN 2016
-15%
Objective: a reduction of 10% by
2015-2016, with 2010 as reference
year. A reduction of 15% was
achieved in 2015, but in the
meantime this reduction in con-
sumption has stabilised.
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
WASTE
RECYCLING
OBJECTIVE BY 2015-16
30%
RESULT IN 2016
26%
Objective: recycle more than 30%
of the non-hazardous waste by
2015-2016, with 2010 as reference
year. The percentage of recycled
waste rose from almost 24% in
2015 to nearly 26% in 2016. The
trend is positive, but the result
still falls short of the target. Get-
ting passengers and partners to
sort properly remains a challenge.
11
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT THEMES

ONE POLICY, EIGHT THEMES

AIR EMISSIONS NOISE

Air quality and energy policy are closely Brussels Airport is working together with the
linked, since reducing the consumption airlines and the public authorities to reduce
of fossil fuels decreases gas emissions into the noise pollution of aircraft as much as
the atmosphere. That’s why we are making possible.
considerable efforts to improve our energy
policy, and why we are encouraging the
airlines to take steps to limit their impact on
the environment.

WATER
Every day, the airport treats the sanitary
waste water of around 50 000 passengers
and visitors and 350 arriving aircraft. And in
winter, the de-icing water from airplanes also
goes to the airport’s water treatment plant.
ENERGY
The airport opts for more renewable energy
and for a reduction in energy consumption;
we consume around 10% less energy
compared to 2010.

12

SOIL
Brussels Airport is eliminating the historical
soil contamination on its grounds. Our work
is almost done, and around 95% of our soil is
now clean.
MOBILITY
Brussels Airport encourages sustainable
mobility, which means more public transport,
more bikes and more ecological cars.
THEMES E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
WASTE
From restaurant staff to cleaning teams:
the active involvement of all partners at
the airport is a central element in our waste
policy.
BIODIVERSITY
A large part of the airport grounds – around
520 hectares – is not built-up, and these
areas are managed so as to ensure maximum
biodiversity.
13
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT COMMITMENT

Buildings and
infrastructure
are part of our
core activities.

Yves Van Hooland in front of the combustion installations in building 702. These heat the water to a temperature of 140°C and inject it into the heating
network (image below).

Yves Van Hooland

• Director Infrastructure & Real Estate

• Joined Brussels Airport Company in 2010
• Previously worked at De Post / La Poste as
Director of the Real Estate and Facility
Management department
• Hobby: ULM pilot

14
 COMMITMENT E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

INFRASTRUCTURE

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE
AIRPORT

Infrastructure and buildings are essential for the core activity of an

airport, and the energy and environmental policy plays a crucial part in
it, says Yves Van Hooland, Director Infrastructure & Real Estate
department at Brussels Airport Company.

I
“ find the airport a fantastic place to
work. Things are going on here day
and night, seven days a week. And
we have very interesting projects in
the pipeline. If you like challenges,
you’ve come to the right place.” Since
2010 Yves Van Hooland has headed
the Infrastructure & Real Estate de-
partment of Brussels Airport Company,
a job he does with great enthusiasm.
Two of his passions come together at
the airport: real estate and aviation.
“The work of our department is very
concrete”, he says. “A building is some-
thing extremely tangible. Every time I
walk through Connector – the building
that connects the terminal to Piers A
and B – I still feel a sense of pride.”
WHY IS REAL ESTATE IMPORTANT IN
THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY?
“Because in essence we’re an infra-
structure company. We don’t produce
anything, we’re not a manufacturing
company. So what do we do? Make
our infrastructure and facilities availa-
ble to the passengers and our part-
ners such as airlines. Buildings and in-
frastructure are therefore part of our
core activity. Brussels Airport even has
a very extensive real estate portfolio.
In total, nearly one million square me-
tres of floor space. That includes
major buildings such as the terminal
and the piers. In these buildings we
aim for an optimal experience for the
passengers, for example in terms of
good lighting and a comfortable in-
door climate. And that automatically
brings you to energy consumption. To
keep the energy consumption within
limits, we have to design, construct
and utilise our buildings in an ener-
gy-efficient manner.”
IS THIS ATTENTION TO ENERGY AND
THE ENVIRONMENT ANCHORED IN
THE INFRASTRUCTURE & REAL
ESTATE DEPARTMENT?
“Yes, from the very beginning of a
project we put the energy and envi-
ronmental aspects on the agenda.
And that’s why people from the envi-
ronmental department are already in-
volved at an early stage. They look
into the energy and environmental
elements, they point out sensitive is-
sues and highlight potential opportu-
nities. Today that is already translated
in the tendering processes for large-
scale projects: sustainability is a major
criterion right alongside safety and
the financial aspect. The infrastructure
team makes an important contribu-
tion to the energy team, which looks
at the airport’s energy challenges
from a multidisciplinary perspective.”
AN AIRPORT IS A SPECIAL
ENVIRONMENT WITH STRICT SAFETY
REGULATIONS. IS THAT SOMETIMES
CONSTRICTING WHEN WORKING
OUT A LONG-LASTING REAL ESTATE
POLICY?
“To generate electricity in a sustainable
manner, we make use of solar panels,
amongst other things. But as these can

15
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
Leading companies are establishing themselves at the airport. In January 2017 Deloitte moved into a brand-new building.
interfere with the radar systems they
can’t be installed just anywhere. Aviation
safety is also the reason why tall wind
turbines naturally have no place here.”
FOR YOU, WHAT IS A
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING?
“That concept has a lot of different
facets. We take account of material use,
with the capture and reuse of rainwater
When we renovate
buildings or renew
installations, it’s done
from the perspective of
better energy
performances as well.
Y ves V an H ooland , D irector I nfrastructure &
R eal E state , B russels A irport C ompany
16
COMMITMENT
and even with greenery. Obviously,
energy is an important point that we
look at in great detail. For example, a
good location, a smart orientation and a
well-conceived design all have a large
positive effect on energy consumption.
An excellent example are the new fire
stations that we’re going to build. In
order to keep the sun out during the hot-
test period of the day, there’s going to be
a large roof overhang. The architect also
provided high-placed glass parts to allow
for a maximum light incidence. But, to
prevent overheating, the glazing is lim-
ited on the south side of the building.
Apart from all that, they’re going to be
very beautiful buildings as well.”
HOW SUSTAINABLE ARE
THE BUILDINGS TODAY?
“Our most recent buildings score very
high in that respect. For Connector we
opted for extensive insulation, which re-
sulted in the building scoring far better
than required by the legal standards.
We have also invested in seasonal ther-
mal energy storage, a technology for
storing energy in the groundwater in
the form of heat or cold. We can then
use this energy to cool down or warm
up the building. But we also have sev-
eral older buildings from the 1960’s
which are not up to standard in terms
of energy efficiency, and we’re now in
the process of systematically demolish-
ing and replacing them. And when we
renovate buildings or renew installa-
tions, it’s done from the perspective of
better energy performances as well.
After the attacks of 22 March, we had
to renew the facade of the terminal. We
did a very thorough job on that, so that
the energy performances are now bet-
ter than before.”
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS PLAY
A PROMINENT ROLE IN THE
‘STRATEGIC VISION 2040’. IS THE
AIRPORT BECOMING AN IMPORTANT
OFFICE AREA?
“Our vision of the future is very ambi-
tious, but also simply the necessary
 COMMITMENT E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

response to the expected passenger

growth in aviation. Worldwide growth
SAVING ENERGY
is estimated at 3.8% per year and for
Europe at 2.5%. Brussels Airport has
IS TEAMWORK
to prepare itself for this, including
ENERGY
through its infrastructure. In so doing,
we intend to make every effort to “Every two months we sit down together with representatives from several
limit the impact on the environment.” departments in order to reflect about the energy policy, to analyse and
evaluate the energy consumption, and to make plans for the future”, says
HOW ATTRACTIVE IS THE AIRPORT Yves Van Hooland. “This multidisciplinary approach makes it very
FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES? interesting, since you get input from people with different perspectives,
ideas, backgrounds and concerns. Because this energy team covers several
“The airport is a highly attractive place departments, you end up with decisions that are supported very broadly
for international companies. Deloitte within the company. It isn’t a single department that is imposing some-
has recently set up office at the air- thing. No, it’s real teamwork.” Amongst others, the replacement of old
port. KPMG and Microsoft will soon be halogen lamps with energy-saving LED lamps along the runways and the
establishing themselves in the investment in Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage for Connector were initia-
Passport office building that is cur- tives of the energy team.
rently under construction, and many
other leading companies have shown
interest. There are still many possibili-
ties for new office developments along
the access zone to the airport. These
will all be very sustainable buildings,
because the large companies apply
high sustainability standards.”

CAN SMART BUILDINGS ALSO MAKE

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE AIRPORT’S
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY
OBJECTIVES?

“Certainly. Smart buildings and ditto

infrastructure are just a few of the
possibilities we are examining to fur-
ther sharpen our environmental ob-
jectives. Today we are already taking
the first steps. For example, LED
lighting with motion sensors and
daylight control are already standard
in all our offices. But we definitely
want to go further. A lot of data has
already been collected and we also
have good building management sys-
tems. These offer great opportunities
for making our buildings more sus-
tainable.” n

The energy team

17
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT COMMITMENT

Philippe Van Bouwel

Philippe Van Bouwel works for

the Infrastructure & Real Estate
department. He is responsible for
the large airside infrastructure
works at the airport.

Philip Autekie

Philip Autekie is project manager

with the Strategic Development de-
partment. He facilitated the runway
renovation within the company and
was responsible for the communica-
tion with all parties involved.

18
 COMMITMENT E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

RENOVATION

PIONEERING WORK

Last summer, one of the airport’s three runways was totally renovated.
One of the project team’s main objectives was to limit the nuisance
this caused for nearby residents, the environment and air traffic.
Philippe Van Bouwel, Airside Works Manager, and Philip Autekie,
Senior Project Manager Strategic Development, played a crucial role.

F
“
or safety reasons and due to
structural wear and tear, we
regularly have to renovate or
renew our runways”, technical
project manager Philippe Van
Bouwel explains. “Around every fifteen
years we replace the top layers of the
asphalt pavement. About every thirty
years, the water drainage system also
has to be addressed. And after sixty
years, the foundations are ready for re-
placement. This time we were dealing
with a thirty-year renovation.”
HOW LONG WERE YOU WORKING
ON THIS BIG PROJECT?
Philip Autekie: “Around two years be-
fore the first shovel went into the
ground we started working internally
on the preparations. This project repre-

RUNWAY 01/19 THE RENOVATION

(BETWEEN 26 JULY 2016 AND 9 SEPTEMBER 2016 )

2 987
METRES LONG
3 600
LED LAMPS
500
PEOPLE AT WORK
25 million
EUROS INVESTED
IN PEAK PERIODS

115 000
TONNES OF
4 600
TRUCK TRANSPORTS
990
TONNES OF CO2 EMISSIONS
RECYCLED ASPHALT AVOIDED COULD BE PREVENTED

19
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT COMMITMENT

sented an investment of around 25

million euros, so we were obliged to
put out a European call for tenders, 5 WAYS TO MORE SUSTAINABLY
and that in itself is a time-consuming RENOVATE A RUNWAY
procedure. A lot of time also went into
the technical studies and into drawing
up the specifications. And we also did
a thorough impact study.”

WHAT DOES SUCH AN

01
IMPACT STUDY ENTAIL?
Recycle asphalt on site
A big construction site generates a lot of site
Philip Autekie: “In an impact study like
traffic. But by recycling the asphalt on site, the
this one, the project team works out
number of transports can be reduced and traffic
several construction site scenarios and
disturbance on the surrounding roads is limited.
weighs them against one another. The
goal is to minimise the impact of the

02
works. We look at the costs, but we
also examine the consequences for the (Re)use water
air traffic, for the nearby residents and
To control dust pollution, the asphalt is milled
the environment. As far as the environ-
out under a constant water spray, using rain­
ment is concerned, this primarily in-
water from one of the airport’s retention basins.
volves the noise impact of the works.
During the works, the preferential run-
way system cannot always be applied,

03
because one of the runways is out of
Choose better materials
service. The duration of the works has
A slightly more sustainable type of asphalt
a major impact on the nearby resi-
was selected.
dents and the capacity of the airport,
so we want to keep the implementa-
tion period as brief as possible.” n

04
Kill two birds with one stone
In some places during the works the sewer
system was reinforced from the inside, so that
The goal is it won’t have to be replaced immediately.

to minimise
the impact
05
Install low-energy lighting
of the works. The replacement of old halogen lamps with
energy-saving LED lamps delivers an energy
saving of 600 000 kilowatt-hours per year.
P hilip A utekie ,
S enior P roject M anager S trategic D evelopment , This corresponds to the annual energy
B russels A irport C ompany consumption of 171 families.

20

LED IT BE
Brussels Airport is installing, maintaining and re-
placing the 11 000 airfield lights that make it possi-
ble for airplanes to safely take off and land, at
night or under poor weather conditions. Between
now and 2020, all of them are going to be re-
placed by lamps using the more energy-efficient
LED technology.
Until a few years ago, the runway lights alone ac-
counted for 7% of the airport’s total electricity con-
sumption, i.e. more than 6 million kilowatt-hours
per year. That makes them a big energy-guzzler for
Brussels Airport, so it was necessary to take action
to reduce this consumption. The migration towards
LED technology will make it possible to save 35% of
this consumption (= 2 100 MWh) by 2020.
In 2015, runway 25L/07R was one of the first in
Europe to be converted entirely to LED technology.
Last year, a second runway followed (01/19).
INSTALLATION
11 000
AIRFIELD LIGHTS
4 000
KM OF CABLE
COMMITMENT E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
Subsequently, the pilot guidance signs were
adapted. LED technology made it possible to aban-
don the gas lamps that equipped the 400 signs.
These mercury vapour lamps are highly-polluting.
At present, one-third of the old halogen lamps used
for taxiway lighting and the stop bars have been re-
placed by LED lamps as well.
Besides considerable energy savings, the LED lamps
no longer have to be replaced annually: a replacement
every 6 years – or even 8 years – suffices, due to the
superior service life of the LED. This limits the risk of
accidents for the maintenance teams working along-
side the runways and reduces air traffic disruptions.
At this stage in the replacement programme, an an-
nual energy saving of 800 000 kWh is achieved. To at-
tain the objective of 2020, several works still have to
be performed: the renovation of runway 25R/07L and
the replacement of more than 4 000 taxiway lights.
SAVINGS
3 600 = 320
LAMPS ALREADY REPLACED HOUSEHOLDS PER YEAR
21
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

CASES AND EXAMPLES

A MULTITUDE OF MEASURES

Brussels Airport is taking a wide range of actions to limit the impact

of the airport activities on the environment, but also in order to
actively help the environment thrive. Here we illustrate how we’re
doing that with a number of tangible examples.

LESS NOISE POLLUTION

NOISE

Brussels Airport is continuing to invest in measures to limit the

airport’s noise pollution. As a good neighbour, we’re doing

33 889
everything we can to reduce the ground noise.
2000
PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED Ground noise is generated by such things as engine test runs
and taxiing of airplanes, the loading and unloading of baggage
and freight, and all of the other ground-handling activities after
landing or before take-off. To block the sound of taxiing air-

2015 13 965
PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED
planes, we built a sound barrier next to the town centre of
Steenokkerzeel. But even simpler measures, such as reduced
taxi times, can produce big results.

Air noise, generated by airplanes taking off and landing, causes

greater amounts of pollution. The federal government and
2016 14 226
PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED
Belgocontrol, the company that controls air traffic over Belgium,
are responsible for limiting it. Brussels Airport actively supports
the policy with noise measurements. In addition, we implement
all measures that the government imposes on us.

Source: Independent study directed by Dick Botteldooren,

acoustics professor at the University of Ghent.

22
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

3 MEASURES FOR LIMITING GROUND NOISE

REDUCED TAXI TIMES
By introducing CDM*, taxi times have
become shorter by three minutes on
average. And after landing, taxiing is
often done using just one of the en-
gines, so that the others can be turned
off sooner. Both of these initiatives
have led to less noise pollution and a
decrease in fuel consumption and CO2
emissions.
INSTALLATION OF 400 HZ AND PCA FEWER TANK TRUCKS
(PRE-CONDITIONED AIR) Thanks to the underground kerosene
By providing a 400 Hz connection pipelines, fewer tank trucks are driving
(electricity) and PCA to Piers A and B on the tarmac, hence lower emissions
and to platform 60, and soon to plat- and less noise, and a smaller risk of in-
form 9 as well, the noisy auxiliary cidents.
power unit in the tail of the plane can
be shut off during the handling.

5 MEASURES TO LIMIT AIR NOISE

LIMITED NUMBER OF NIGHT SLOTS SILENT WEEKEND NIGHTS NOISE CERTIFICATES

The government limits the number of
night slots per year to 16 000. A maxi-
mum of 5 000 of them are for depart-
ing aircraft. A ‘slot’ is an authorisation
to land or take off at the airport.
We respect the policy of silent nights
on weekends. No slots are given for
aircraft to take off during the night of
Friday to Saturday between one and
six a.m. On Saturday and Sunday
nights this ban applies between mid-
night and six a.m.
On the basis of the noise certificate and
the quota count derived from it, certain
types of aircraft are not authorised at
Brussels Airport during specific periods
of the day. The noisiest aircraft are
banned entirely.

NIGHT SLOTS AND NIGHT MOVEMENTS

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000 DATA NOT AVAILABLE**

2 000

0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NIGHT SLOTS ARRIVALS NIGHT SLOTS TAKE-OFFS NIGHT MOVEMENTS***

* See also p. 35: ‘Brussels Airport: sharpened ambition’

** No monitoring figures from Belgian Slot Coordination available.
*** Number of night movements = incl. helicopter flights and flights exempted from slot coordination (e.g. military flights, government flights, medical flights, humanitarian missions, etc.)

23
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

NOISE-DIFFERENTIATED TAKE-OFF NOISE CATEGORIES:

AND LANDING FEES
The rate that an airline has to pay for
using the runways at Brussels Airport
depends on the noise performances of
the airplane. This way, Brussels Airport
is giving airlines an added incentive to
renew their fleets more quickly. When
these rates were revised in April 2016
a further differentiation was made by
going up from 6 to 8 noise categories
and further expanding the rate ratios.
As a result, with a plane from the best
noise category an airline now pays up
to 2.9 times less. In addition, the rate
for a night flight is as much as 3 times
higher.
QUIETER AIRCRAFT
The aircraft fleet operating out of
Brussels Airport is becoming quieter
and quieter. This can be seen, for exam-
ple, in the distribution of the number of
flights per noise category for the years
2015 and 2016. The number of airplanes
in the noisiest categories R1-R3 is de-
clining. In the quieter category R4, and
above all in the category R6, in which
DISTRIBUTION BY NOISE CATEGORY
40%
35%
aircraft that perform very well in terms
of noise are classified, there is a clear
increase in the number of planes.
Aircraft of a given type are not always
classified in the same noise category,
since this also depends on the type of
engine and the weight for which the
plane is certified.

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

05%

00%
R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8

2015 2016

A FEW EXAMPLES OF FREQUENTLY SEEN

AIRCRAFT TYPES AT BRUSSELS AIRPORT

AIRBUS 319 NOISE CATEGORY R5-R6

AIRBUS 320 NOISE CATEGORY R4-R5
Most frequently used aircraft types at Brussels Airport, mainly for
intra-European flights.

BOEING 787 DREAMLINER NOISE CATEGORY R7-R8

One of the most modern and silent aircraft types. Already being used
at Brussels Airport by TUIfly, Qatar Airways, All Nippon Airways &
Ethiopian Airlines.

BOEING 738 NOISE CATEGORY R4

Aircraft type that is used on the European network, including by
TUIfly and Ryanair.

24
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

MEASURING TODAY TO DO EVEN BETTER TOMORROW

Brussels Airport has been mapping annual noise exposure in and around the airport using noise contours since
1996. Noise contours are lines connecting points with an identical average noise level. To know the noise
exposure, Brussels Airport Company operates an extensive network of noise measurement points.

CALCULATION OF THE NOISE CONTOURS
Thanks to the noise contours we can say precisely for each area that
is contained by a noise contour how many local residents suffer from
noise pollution. We distinguish here between day, evening and night
contours. These three noise contours are then combined into a sin-
gle noise contour (Lden) for the entire 24-hour period. In so doing,
greater weight is given to the evening period (+5 dB) and the night
period (+10 dB) in order to take account of the extra nuisance of
noise during these periods.
SHIFTS IN THE NOISE CONTOURS
For calculating the 2016 contours, the airport called on the team of Dick
Botteldooren, acoustics professor at the University of Ghent. This inde-
pendent study demonstrates that the surface area within the Lden noise
contour of 55 dB in 2016 dropped by 2.8% compared to 2015. This is ex-
plained by the continuous evolution towards a quieter aircraft fleet and
the decrease in the number of movements by 6.5%, a consequence of
the attacks on 22 March 2016. The number of passengers in 2016 also
fell by 7% to 21.8 million. Due to a number of shifts in the location of the
noise contours, the number of persons potentially highly annoyed, de-
spite the reduction in surface area, increased by 1.9% to around 14 200.
The shifts identified in the noise contours are primarily explained by
the necessary renovation works that were carried out over the past
2 years. As a result, in each case the runway under renovation could
not be used for several months. Compared to the year 2000, when
the number of persons potentially highly annoyed amounted to
33 900, there has been a reduction of almost 60%.
THE NOISE MONITORING NETWORK AND ANOMS
Today our noise monitoring network has 21 monitoring terminals,
whose locations were chosen on the basis of the most-frequently
used flight paths. The monitoring terminals far from the airport
measure the sound of the overflying traffic. The monitoring
terminals closer to the airport measure both the noise of aircraft
on the ground and that of overflying aircraft. The Airport Noise
and Operation Management System (ANOMS) links the data of
this monitoring network to weather information and operational
flight data. This system allows us to transparently report on the
noise measurements (www.batc.be) and helps the Federal
Mediation Service fulfil its task of dealing with noise complaints
relating to Brussels Airport.

Lden
CONTOURS

2000
Lden contour 55 dB

2015
Lden contour 55 dB

2016
Lden contour 55 dB

25
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

MORE EFFICIENT
AIRCRAFT DE-ICING
WATER

Keeping airplanes ice- and snow-free during the winter is crucial Brussels Airport puts
for guaranteeing passenger safety and making safe take-offs
possible. The process involved is called de-icing. de-icing waste water
to good use in its own
De-icing is done with a mix of water and glycol, also known as
antifreeze fluid. This fluid is heated and sprayed over the air- water treatment facility.
plane, where it prevents ice crystals from forming.

Brussels Airport has a dedicated remote de-icing platform, plat-

form W2, where aircraft are de-iced before taxiing onto the run- J ohan D eckx from T revi ,
way. We plan to progressively double the capacity of this plat- environmental technology and consulting firm

form by the winter of 2019, because it offers many benefits.

40% FASTER MUCH SAFER LESS DE-ICING

WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF
WORKERS, WE CAN DE-ICE PLANES
MUCH FASTER AT THE PLATFORM THAN
ON THE STANDS AND AT THE PIERS.
IN THIS WAY DEPARTURE CAPACITY
ISN’T PUT UNDER PRESSURE.
THE BOARDING AND DE-ICING PROCESSES
LARGELY TAKE PLACE IN SEPARATE LOCATIONS.
THERE IS LESS CHANCE THAT PASSENGERS
WILL HAVE TO WALK ON A SLIPPERY SURFACE
OR THAT THEY MIGHT COME INTO CONTACT
WITH THE DE-ICING FLUID.
FLUID REQUIRED
FROM THE W2 PLATFORM THE AIRPLANES
HAVE A SHORTER ROUTE TO THE RUNWAYS,
SO LESS DE-ICING FLUID IS NECESSARY IN
ORDER TO KEEP THEM ICE-FREE UNTIL THE
MOMENT THEY ACTUALLY TAKE OFF.

26
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

BIOLOGICAL WATER PURIFICATION

WATER

The airport purifies a great deal of
waste water biologically. For example,
every day the sanitary waste water of
around 50 000 passengers and visitors
to the airport is treated, as well as that
from 350 arriving airplanes.
Everything is fed to our own biological
water treatment facility, which has been
operational since 2010 and is now run
by our partner, the environmental tech-
nology company TREVI. Since Brussels
Airport has been treating the waste
water, the water quality in the sur-
rounding area has increased sharply.
When building its water treatment
facility, Brussels Airport went well
beyond what is prescribed by the law.
What happens with
the de-icing water?
The water used for de-icing aircraft is also
captured and treated. By buffering the
waste water from de-icing operations in
the water treatment facility in the winter,
this waste water can be processed in the
summer. That saves on the use of chemi-
cals because the waste water works as a
source of carbon in the biological process.
Safety margin
The storage tanks in which de-icing
waste water ends up are emptied as
soon as they are 60% full and the
waste water is transported to our water
treatment facility. In this way we run
less of a risk that they will overflow
with untreated water getting into the
watercourses around the airport.

WASTE WATER FROM MICROORGANISMS BREAK DOWN

AIRCRAFT IS COLLECTED THE POLLUTION. AERATORS GIVE
IN STORAGE TANKS. THE MICROORGANISMS OXYGEN.

02 03

01 02 04 05 06

THE WASTE WATER COMES THE WASTE WATER FROM THE MICROORGANISMS THE FLAKES ARE SEPARATED THE EXCESS SLUDGE IS
FROM THE AIRPLANES AND THE TERMINAL ENDS UP - VIA GROW INTO SLUDGE FROM THE WATER THROUGH TRANSPORTED AND
THE TERMINAL. THE SEWER SYSTEM - IN THE WATER FLAKES. SEDIMENTATION INCINERATED WITH HEAT
TREATMENT PLANT. (TOGETHER WITH NITROGEN RECOVERY.
AND PHOSPHORUS).

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF

THE FLEMISH ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY
The waste water that the airport treats is discharged via a retention basin into the Barebeek brook,
and in this way also gets into other waterways. The Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij or VMM (The
Flemish Environmental Agency) tests the quality of the waste water. “In order to monitor the
quality, we make use – amongst other things – of the multimetric index”, says Maarten De Jonge,
team leader of the Surface Water Measurement Network for the Demer, Dijle and Maas rivers. “On
the basis of the number of invertebrate aquatic animals and the variation in the species, we can
accurately follow the evolution of the quality. The water in the Barebeek and the upper courses, for
example, evolved from ‘poor’ in 2008 to ‘moderate’ in 2015. We are seeing the most positive evo-
lution in the number of aquatic plants. Scarcely any of them could be found in 2008, but now
they’re making a big comeback. The oxygen content is also evolving positively and, as a result, fish
species like the stickleback and the tench are returning.”

27
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
GOING HOME WITH THE RIGHT TYRE PRESSURE
AIR EMISSIONS
No fewer than nine out of ten cars are
driving around with a tyre pressure
that is too low. A shocking statistic,
and one that prompted Brussels Air-
port to action.
With the right tyre pressure unneces-
sary friction is avoided, and that en-
sures that the car consumes less fuel
and emits less CO2. The wrong tyre
pressure also leads to faster wear and
tear, increased risk of a blowout, re-
NOT ENOUGH GRASS CUTTINGS FOR FERMENTATION UNIT
ENERGY
28
BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION
37%
OK (79 CARS)
63%
NOT OK (129 CARS)
New technologies often play a crucial
role in achieving sustainability objec-
tives, so Brussels Airport is always
keeping an eye on innovative initia-
tives. Often this leads to concrete ap-
plications, but sometimes interesting
projects turn out to be a dead end. An
example of that is the beautiful plan
for an environmentally-friendly fer-
mentation unit at Brussels Airport,
which ultimately however proved to be
unfeasible.
The airport has large fields of grass.
Grass cuttings are a major raw mate-
rial source for a fermentation unit, as
is the vegetable and fruit waste from
the terminal zone.
We therefore studied the technical and
financial feasibility of a fermentation
duced road-holding and a significantly
longer braking distance. More than
enough reasons for putting on a tyre
pressure campaign. This was organised
at the end of September by the envi-
ronmental staff. Cars were checked
and drivers were able to go home with
the perfect tyre pressure. A compres-
sor was also installed on the staff
parking lot, so now all employees can
check and correct the pressure of their
tyres themselves.
unit. In organic waste fermentation, a
mixture of grass and organic residual
products is converted into biogas.
A cogeneration unit then converts the
biogas into green electricity and sus-
tainable heat.
The initial results seemed positive. But
when Brussels Airport switched over
to a different way of cutting grass, the
situation changed. Only during the
first cutting of the season will the
grass still be gathered and removed.
The available quantity of grass for fer-
mentation thus fell by 50%. Moreover,
the grass is now only available at one
moment during the year, so a continu-
ous supply of grass – a condition for
the proper functioning of a fermenter
– could no longer be guaranteed.
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

SAVE TIME
BY BIKING
MOBILITY

At the initiative of Laurens Hermans,

Head of Outside Infrastructure, in 2016
four company bicycles were purchased
to facilitate shuttling back and forth
between the company buildings at the
airport. A winning move. For many em-
ployees, short car rides on the grounds
are a thing of the past. A great deal of
time is saved thanks to the company
bikes – and it also does everyone good
to get some air from time to time.

Sonja Gehlen, Central Services Manager in Infrastructure & Real Estate,

bikes regularly from the Satellite building to building 32.

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL
AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Brussels Airport Company has an inte- In the 2016-2017 period, Brussels Air-
grated environmental and energy man- port is working on an action plan in
agement system that is certified under order to meet the renewed standard.
the international standards ISO 14001 Recertification of the environmental
(environment) and 50001 (energy). The and energy management system is on
ISO 14001 standard for environmental the agenda for 2018.
management was revised in 2015.
Brussels Airport is striving to harmo-
For environmental, This standard describes the conditions nise the various management systems
an organisation has to satisfy in order to as much as possible. For environmen-
energy, safety and
manage its environmental impact. The tal, energy, safety and quality control,
quality control, synergies changes put the emphasis on leader­ synergies and integration are possible
ship, process management, risk man- that can make the management more
and integration are
agement and stakeholder management. effective.
possible that can make More attention is also paid to raising
awareness of policy and management,
the management internal and external communication
more effective and change management.

29
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

BUSY BEES
BIODIVERSITY

The frames are removed from

the box to inspect them: do
they contain mainly brood or
primarily honey?

The beehive is opened and

the beekeeper knocks on
100 000
WORKER BEES,
the honey super to shoo the 10 000 DRONES,
bees into the brood box. 2 QUEENS

18 KG
OF AIRPORT HONEY

The queen is held in a

capture clamp so she’s
sure not to get lost.

The worldwide drop in the bee population poses a major
problem, not just for nature but also for pollinations. In 2014
we therefore placed two honey bee hives on the airport
grounds, giving a home to 100 000 worker bees, 10 000
drones ... and two queens.
To manage them we are supported by experienced beekeep-
ers from the organisation NEMEC and the Bijenhouders Regio
Kortenberg. In 2015, ten volunteers from the airport took an
‘Introduction to Apiculture’ training course, in order to learn
the ins and outs of beekeeping. All through 2016, these vol-
unteers tended the bees and the hives, resulting in a first
harvest of 18 kg of airport honey.
Bees and airplanes ... a safe combination?
Bees aren’t dangerous for either the airport or for local resi-
dents, unless they start swarming. But that only happens if
the queen no longer has her colony under control. During
the season the hives are checked on a weekly basis. More­
over, in Belgium there are no birds that eat bees, so our
colonies do not attract additional birds, which could be
dangerous for airplanes.

30
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

OLD GRASSLANDS
FULL OF LIFE
BIODIVERSITY

The site of Brussels Airport is one of the largest surface

areas of valuable old grasslands that have remained unfer-
tilised for a long time. In 2015 the airport and the nature
protection organisation Natuurpunt began a joint study on
The common blue is making a comeback.
the site’s biodiversity.
In this way we can make any necessary adjustments in
order to maintain or even increase the existing biodiversity.
Along with the research already done on fungi, bees and
butterflies, in 2017 we are planning to do more research on
grasshoppers, dragonflies, ladybugs and diurnal butterflies.
We’re also keeping a close eye on bees. Finally we’ll be
looking for mushrooms on grounds that haven’t been stud-
ied yet and we will process all the data. Natuurpunt found
no fewer than 49 species of grassland mushrooms along the
shoulders of the perimeter road and in the Speelbos woods
near the airport. Butterflies such as the small heath and the
common blue are thriving here.
The small heath feels right at home here.

GOOD RIDDANCE
SOIL

Soil investigations identified historical soil contamination

at the airport’s building 212, where aircraft engines have
been tested for years. Near the hydrocarbon separator
the ground was contaminated with mineral oil and the
groundwater with mineral oil, aromatics and chlorinated
volatile organic compounds (VOCls). In collaboration with
a certified soil sanitation expert, we developed a soil re-
mediation project that was approved by OVAM (Open-
bare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij — Public Waste
Agency of Flanders). We started excavating the contami-
nation in the solid part of the soil and the floating layer.
After the excavation, the site was refilled with clean soil.
A pilot test was started to biologically and/or chemically
purify the groundwater in a second phase.

31
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

REDUCING ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

OBJECTIVE: ZERO EMISSIONS

In the departure hall of Brussels Airport, the airport shows what it is

doing to reduce CO2 emissions: “Reducing our carbon footprint isn’t a
goal, it’s a fact ”. Participating in the Airport Carbon Accreditation
programme initiated by the ACI (Airports Council International), Brussels
Airport is one of the world’s 33 level-3 airports, one step away from the
ultimate level 3+. Marina Bylinsky, Manager Environmental Strategy and
Intermodality of ACI Europe, explains all the ins and outs for us.

A PRIVATE,
VOLUNTARY AND
COLLECTIVE INITIATIVE
In 2009, ACI Europe – the professional organisation of European
airport operators – decided to take action on the issue of
climate change by launching the Airport Carbon Accreditation
programme. This independent programme fits within a two-
pronged strategy: supporting the members in terms of
managing the impact that airport activities have on the climate,
and adapting the airports to the impacts of climate change.
The movement initiated in Europe was rapidly emulated in Asia,
North America, Latin America and Africa. In 2009 the
programme had 17 airports, but by March 2017 there were no
fewer than 182 working to protect the climate. The programme
has largely surpassed the initial expectations of ACI Europe.
The latter provides to its members the general technical
framework for obtaining the different certificates, step by step.
The accreditations are awarded by an outside body.

32
 BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

WHAT AMBITIOUS TARGET DOES ACI determination to make a responsible

EUROPE HAVE FOR REDUCING CO2
EMISSIONS?
“In 2015 at the COP21 climate summit in
Paris, the European airport industry pro-
mised, via ACI Europe, that 50 European
airports would attain carbon neutrality
between now and 2030. Carbon neutra-
lity entails that the airport reduces its
emissions as much as possible and off-
sets the residual emissions by purcha-
sing high-quality carbon credits.”
IS THIS PROGRAMME PROCEEDING BY
STAGES, WITH A SNOWBALL EFFECT?
“Adhesion to the Airport Carbon Accred-
itation approach can be made at any
certification level. It is motivated by the
25 commitment to sustainable develop-
ment, and the savings achieved encou-
rage them to continue their efforts, as
2016 well as the positive image that this of-
25 AIRPORTS ACCREDITED AT 3+ ficial recognition offers, recognised by
IN EUROPE the highest authorities such as the
Framework Convention of the United
Nations on Climate Change or the Euro-
pean Commission. In general, the grea-
50 ter the efforts an airport has already
made to reduce its emissions, the less
manoeuvring room there will be to
achieve further reductions. However,
OBJECTIVE 2030
50 CARBON NEUTRAL AIRPORTS, each year, to be re-accredited, airports
INCLUDING BRUSSELS AIRPORT must demonstrate that they have
achieved new emission reductions. The
requirement level thus increases as
‘the seniority’ of the airport in the pro-
gramme increases. In addition, they

FOUR LEVELS OF AIRPORT CARBON ACCREDITATION

The conditions to be met for the Airport Carbon Accreditation certifications are strict and necessitate
strategic commitment and rigorous efforts on the part of the airports. The 4 levels are:

MAPPING THE REDUCTION OF OPTIMISATION AND CARBON

CARBON FOOTPRINT CO2 EMISSIONS AWARENESS-RAISING OF NEUTRALITY
AIRPORT PARTNERS

Level 1 certifies that the airport has
calculated its carbon footprint, vali-
dated by an external audit:
consumption of natural gas and fuel
oil, fuels consumed by service and
company vehicles (scope 1), and
purchase of electricity (scope 2).
Level 2 corresponds to the intro-
duction of measures for reducing
CO2 emissions within the airport
company, the definition of reduc-
tion objectives and the achieve-
ment of reductions.
Level 3 requires the identification of
all of the airport’s CO2 emissions.
This level requires the elaboration,
with its airport partners (such as
the airlines), of a common policy for
reducing atmospheric emissions.
Accreditation level 3+ means that
the airport operator undertakes to
pursue reductions and to offset the
residual emissions in order to
achieve carbon neutrality of the
operations under the airport’s
control. It is a key element of the
programme: the airport must de-
monstrate that it made every pos-
sible effort to reduce its own emis-
sions before turning to offsetting.

33
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
don’t have control over all of the emis-
sions on the airport site: their control is
often limited to the heating of the buil-
dings they occupy, to the service
vehicles as well as to the company
cars. Yet, to attain the level of Airport
Carbon Accreditation 3, the airport
must raise the awareness of other
players at the airport to induce them to
implement sustainability measures and
reduce their emissions.”
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS?
“Small streams make big rivers: it’s by
adding together all of the efforts
conducted in every direction that one
sees advances being made. Like any
airport that participates in the Airport
Carbon Accreditation programme,
Marina Bylinsky
• Manager Environmental Strategy
& Intermodality (ACI Europe)
• Since September 2015 she has been respon-
sible for coordinating the environmental
strategy of ACI Europe, which she repre-
sents on the level of the European Union,
the European Civil Aviation Conference and
Eurocontrol. She is responsible for the
management of the Airport Carbon
Accreditation standard.
• Degree in Political Science
34
BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION
Brussels Airport began by mapping its
carbon footprint. To do this, one must
survey all of the activities and examine
every item closely, seeking to identify
possibilities for maximally reducing
energy consumption and environmen-
tal impact.”
HAS EUROPE SET
EMISSION QUOTAS?
“Yes, the European Union set up the
obligatory ETS (emission trading sys-
tem), a Community system for trading
CO2 emission quotas. It applies for
more than 11 000 energy-intensive
installations in Europe. Several
airports, including Brussels Airport,
have large combustion installations
on their site that are included in the
emissions trading system. The achie-
vement of carbon neutrality referred
to in level 3+ of the Airport Carbon Ac-
creditation programme is not linked to
the ETS. To reach this level, the cur-
rently irreducible part of the residual
emissions must be offset by the vo-
luntary purchase of carbon credits by
supporting sustainable CO2 reduction
actions implemented here or
elsewhere. In order to attain the 3+
level, Brussels Airport is currently ana-
lysing offers from the carbon credits
market.” n

BRUSSELS AIRPORT: SHARPENED AMBITION
In 2010, the airport set itself a concrete objective:
a 20% reduction in its CO2 emissions between
now and 2020.
In 2015, emissions had already dropped by 27%.
The initial objective already having been sur-
passed, the airport set itself a new one: to re-
duce its carbon footprint by 40% by 2030, com-
-40 %
pared to the reference year 2010.
For the 5th consecutive year, Brussels Airport has
been accredited at level 3, which entails mobilis-
ing the airport partners so that they too reduce
their emissions, by means of a coordinated policy.
In terms of electricity consumption, the airport
has already succeeded in becoming entirely car- -27%
bon neutral.
COMBINED RESULTS OF ALL 153* CERTIFIED AIRPORTS (FROM 1 TO 3+) IN THE WORLD:
REDUCTION IN CO2 EMISSIONS OF 206 090 TONNES
RECORDED BETWEEN MAY 2015 AND MAY 2016
-206 090 TONNES
65% OF PASSENGERS IN EUROPE USE
CERTIFIED AIRPORTS
65%
* May 2016 figures
BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
OBJECTIVE 2030 It is estimated that the CO2 emissions under the
control of airports correspond to 2 to 5% of the
aircraft emissions at the global level. To reduce
its emissions, Brussels Airport procures green
electricity. Brussels Airport has also optimised
workforce commuting, rethought its combus-
tion installations and reviewed its commercial
vehicle fleet. To help its partners reduce their
carbon emissions, Brussels Airport was one of
RESULT 2015 the first airports in Europe to set up an innova-
tive system of air traffic management
(Collaborative Decision Making, CDM), making it
possible to optimise the movements of planes
on the ground. It also set up a 400 Hz system,
so aircraft do not have to use their auxiliary
power units which consume kerosene.
PER PASSENGER, GROWING REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS IN KG
EQUIVALENT OF CO2 SINCE 2010.
2014
GLOBAL AVERAGE
2015
BRUSSELS AIRPORT
2.26 KG CO2 1.76 KG CO2
2015
2016
GLOBAL AVERAGE BRUSSELS AIRPORT
2.10 KG CO2 1.60 KG CO2
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E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION

MOBILITY PLAN

SETTING THE EXAMPLE

In October 2016, Brussels Airport launched a new mobility plan

for its employees. The classic company car is getting serious competition
from alternative mobility solutions.

“ W
Stijn De Smedt
• Head of Employee Services at Brussels
Airport Company
• At the beginning of 2016, a multi­
disciplinary team under his leadership
began developing a new mobility policy.
aiting any longer
was not an option”,
says Stijn De Smedt,
Head of Employee
Services at Brussels
Airport Company. Together with a
multidisciplinary team he developed a
new mobility policy. In addition to
several members from the human re-
sources staff, people from the finan-
cial, mobility and environmental de-
partments as well as outside experts
were also sitting around the table.
“A broad group because, with the new
mobility policy, we want to respond to
a number of different challenges”,
Stijn explains. “The airport is expand-
ing, and that has caused additional
pressure on the road and parking in-
frastructure. The old mobility policy

36

In terms of total travelling time,
for one in three of our employees
public transport is a competitive
solution for their commute to work.
also ran up against our own environ-
mental objectives.”
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR OUTLINES
OF THE NEW MOBILITY POLICY?
“We’re working along two main lines:
the first is to offer alternatives for the
use of company cars. Today, this is
possible. In terms of total travelling
time, for one in three of our
employees public transport, and
sometimes the bicycle, is a competi-
tive solution for their commute to
work. The NMBS and De Lijn offer a
wide range of flexible products that
allow for tailor-made solutions. The
second line is to steer our people in
the direction of alternative, more sus-
tainable cars. By looking at the total
cost, thus including taxation and fuel
costs, we make electric and hybrid
cars, as well as cars that run on natu-
ral gas, more attractive.”
BRUSSELS AIRPORT IS AN
INTERMODAL HUB: ALL MODES OF
TRANSPORT COME TOGETHER HERE.
ARE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
THAT REALITY?
“Of course we are! We have our own
train station right below the airport
building. How many companies can
BRUSSELS AIRPORT IN ACTION
S tijn D e S medt , H ead of E mployee S ervices ,
B russels A irport C ompany
claim this? The airport is also served
by many bus routes. Two tram con-
nections with Brussels will be coming
in the near future. And numerous in-
vestments in new cycling infrastruc-
ture in and around the airport are
planned. Today our modal split for our
employees is 80/20: 80% come to
work by car and 20% in some other
manner. We’re aiming for a 60/40
ratio by 2025.”
IS THE NEW MOBILITY POLICY
ALREADY GENERATING RESULTS?
“Yes. We’ve already held discussions
with 79 employees to give them indi-
vidual mobility advice. More than four-
fifths have indicated that they are con-
sidering changing to an alternative way
of using their mobility budget. In the
We have our own train station right
below the airport building. How many
companies can claim this?
S tijn D e S medt , H ead of E mployee S ervices , B russels A irport C ompany
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
meantime, 38% have actually opted for
alternative mobility options. The train in
particular is a great success.”
THE GOVERNMENT IS THINKING
ABOUT INTRODUCING A MOBILITY
BUDGET. WOULDN’T YOU HAVE
DONE BETTER TO WAIT UNTIL THOSE
PLANS BECAME MORE CONCRETE?
“We decided not to wait any longer.
There’s already been much ado about
the government’s mobility budget, but
to me it still isn’t clear exactly what it
will entail. We’ve chosen to do the
maxi­mum within the current possibili-
ties. Another factor is that, as an airport
operator, we wish to set the example.
We’re counting on our partners at the
airport to follow in our footsteps, and
the momentum is also there.” n
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E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

CASES AND EXAMPLES

TOGETHER FOR THE

ENVIRONMENT

Many companies at and around the airport are undertaking eco-friendly

actions to protect the environment. Brussels Airport collaborates with
them regularly, as we also do with government authorities, NGOs and
local associations. In every case, the objective is to make the airport and
its surrounding area as pleasant as possible.

CAR FREE WEEK

MOBILITY

On the occasion of the annual Mobility Week, from 19 to
23 September 2016, employees of the airport companies re-
ceived the opportunity to come to work with alternative
means of transport for free.
No fewer than 315 employees from twenty airport companies
seized the opportunity and left their cars at home for a week.
198 opted for the train, 30 for the bus or tram, and 87 got to
work by bicycle or on foot. All participants were rewarded
with a meal voucher. The person who cycled the most kilo-
metres even won a 100-euro gift voucher from the bicycle
store Fiets!. And Brussels Airlines, the company that booked
the greatest CO2 savings, became the proud owner of the Car
Free Week Trophy.
Cycling winner speaks
Mélodie Dieudonné, Fraud Prevention Officer, Finance, at
Brussels Airlines, ran up the highest number of kilometres on
her bicycle: “In January 2016 I took part in the project Bike for
Africa, an initiative of the b.foundation for Africa of Brussels
Airlines. We were sponsored to cycle the four hundred kilo-
metres from Dakar in Senegal to Banjul, The Gambia. For me,
the Car Free Week was an ideal moment to haul my moun-
tain bike out of the garage again and bicycle to work. I was
even happy to take a route that was four kilometres longer,
just so I could cycle in open nature as much as possible. My
colleagues were my greatest supporters. Soon I’ll be depart-
ing for Cameroon with b.foundation, and as training I bike to
work once a week. That way I can extend the good effects of
the Car Free Week for a bit longer.”

4 TONNES OF CO2 =
SAVED
74 000 km
OR TWICE AROUND THE EARTH

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 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
OPERATION CLEAN-UP
WASTE
The average passenger leaves 155 grams of waste behind
on each visit to Brussels Airport. Think that’s negligible?
Not when you realise that an average of 23.5 million
passengers circulate in the airport each year. So it’s like a
small city where thousands of people are living together.
Keeping the airport clean is of the utmost importance if
The restaurant staff sorts organic waste, napkins, disposable cups and
packagings in waste containers in a temporary storage room.
Cleaning staff prevent littering, pick up the waste in
the toilets and keep the airport floor clean.
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
it’s to remain liveable and pleasant. Fortunately,
a sophisticated sorting plan and an efficient waste
processing plan are in effect. From restaurant staff through
cleaning teams to employees of our on-site recycling
centre: day after day, everyone strives to keep the airport
spick and span.
Personnel and passengers sort paper & cardboard, PMD (Plastics, Metals
and Drink cartons) and residual waste in the waste bins specially provided
for this purpose.
The security agents sort liquids and gels that are not allowed in
the hand luggage of travellers.
39
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
VMM VERIFIES AIR QUALITY
AIR EMISSIONS
At the end of 2015, the Vlaamse Milieu-
maatschappij or VMM (The Flemish En-
vironmental Agency) did a study on
the air quality in the vicinity of the air-
port, since European studies have
shown that airports are a source of
ultra­fine particles.
For two months at four measuring
sites, the concentration of fine parti-
cles (PM10), ultrafine particles (UFP),
black carbon (BC) and nitrogen oxides
(NOx) were measured every 30 min-
utes. The measuring sites were located
in Diegem, Steenokkerzeel, Kampen-
hout and Evere.
The conclusion of the VMM study reads
as follows: “In the area around the air-
port, the airport activities contribute no
more to the air concentrations of soot
particles (‘black carbon’ or BC), nitro-
MEASURING POINT
DIEGEM
MEASURING POINT
EVERE
40
PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
gen oxides (NOx) and fine particles
(PM10) than other sources, such as
road traffic.” The study confirms that
the airport activities do contribute to
the UFP concentrations in the sur-
rounding area. This effect is measured
up to seven kilometres away, depend-
ing on wind direction and the number
of flight movements.
Brussels Airport is aware of the
problem and pays attention to it in its
environmental policy. For example,
CNG-powered service vehicles and
electrical buses were purchased, work
is being done to shorten aircraft taxi-
ing times, and aircraft can directly plug
into a 400 Hz power supply and re-
ceive preconditioned air which pre-
vents them from having to use their
own power units. The full study is
available at www.vmm.be.
MEASURING POINT
KAMPENHOUT
MEASURING POINT
STEENOKKERZEEL
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

NMBS TRANSPORTING
MORE PEOPLE
TO THE AIRPORT
MOBILITY

In recent years, the NMBS has greatly expanded its

offer to the airport, something travellers appreciate.
“In November and December 2016, more than one out
of four passengers used the train to get to and from
Brussels Airport”, Bart De Groote, Chief Marketing
Officer at NMBS, notes with satisfaction.

25%
OF THE AIRPORT PASSENGERS
MADE USE OF THE TRAIN IN
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.

Moreover, not everyone who takes the train, bus, car

or bicycle towards Brussels Airport does so with a
piece of luggage in hand. Quite a few commuters are
simply travelling through the airport on their journey
to work in Brussels or on the outskirts of the city.
Brussels Airport as a unique transport hub? Absolutely!
This is already demonstrated by the big increase in the
number of train travellers to the airport in the last
months of 2016.

SHERATON INVESTS IN
ENERGY-SAVING DEVICES
ENERGY

Last year, the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel installed new

devices to reduce its energy consumption. New motion sensor
thermostats were installed in the rooms, and the restaurant
received new energy-saving refrigerators and a more efficient
dishwasher.

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E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

DHL ENCOURAGES EMIRATES

CARPOOLING TURNS BOTTLES
MOBILITY INTO BLANKETS
In 2016, express courier company DHL conducted a large-scale WASTE
mobility survey and concluded that greater emphasis should be
placed on carpooling. The company is now working with Since January 2017, Emirates airline has
carpool.be to make car-sharing easier and more accessible. Car- been using ecological blankets made
pooling via carpool.be isn’t limited to DHL and other companies: 100% of recycled plastic bottles in
anyone can use the tool to find carpool partners! In the mean- Economy class. This sustainable in-flight
time, 81 of DHL’s people have made use of the website in order to project is the largest ever of its kind in the
find carpool partners within their company or in other companies. aviation industry. Recycled bottles are con-
verted into chips and processed into
threads which are then used to make
fleece fabric.

The DHL management sets the right example.

28 BOTTLES
=
1 FLEECE BLANKET
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
INITIATES SOIL
REMEDIATION PROJECT
SOIL 28 recycled bottles are required for a sin-
gle blanket. By the end of 2019, Emirates
The Ministry of Defence’s 15th Air Transport Wing has its airport will have processed 88 million bottles into
close to Brussels Airport. In 2016 it initiated the soil remediation blankets, i.e. the weight of 44 A380 air-
of a few polluted zones. planes.

42
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

AVIAPARTNER OFFERS
TREES FOR THE PLANET
Aviapartner has its own Go Green Campaign and is actively working
to protect the environment. Healthy smoothies and a participation in
Earth Hour are just a few examples of this. The company replaced
80-gram paper with lighter 70-gram paper for its printing needs.
173
And for each customer who participates in its annual Customer
IN 2016 AVIAPARTNER
Satisfaction Survey, Aviapartner plants a tree; in this way, 173 trees
PLANTED 173 TREES
were planted in 2016.

QATAR AIRWAYS: THE QUIETEST AIRLINE  

NOISE

The Brussels Airport Aviation Awards are celebrating their the noise certification values of the ICAO (the International
tenth anniversary this year. Every year, Brussels Airport Civil Aviation Organization) as a function of the weight of
presents these awards, to the the aircraft, the number of
airlines and its partners that engines and the number of
have distinguished them- take-offs made by the air-
selves in the past year in line at Brussels Airport.
terms of network develop-
ment and new routes, the en- Qatar Airways, a young air-
vironment, safety, perfor- line eager to reduce its eco-
mance and punctuality. logical footprint, boasts an
ultramodern fleet composed
The Environment and Safety of Boeing 787s or Dream-
Awards are presented to air- liners to serve Brussels
port companies that made a Airport … which enabled it to
special contribution to the pro- secure first place, ahead of
tection of the environment, to All Nippon Airways.
the permanent improvement
of safety standards or to sen- Sebastiaan Wijenberg, Manager Cargo The Netherlands & Belgium Thanks to its classification
sitization in this area. In 2017 (Qatar Airways) receives the award from Lode Ketele, in pole position for passen-
Director Compliance & Operations Continuity (Brussels Airport).
the Environment Award went ger transport and its 3rd
to Qatar Airways, the Qatari place for freight, Qatar
national airline, whose fleet has an especially small noise Airways deserves to be regarded as the quietest airline at
footprint. When granting this award, Brussels Airport weighs Brussels Airport in 2016.

43
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Marylin Bastin

• Head of Environment & Procedure Design,

Belgocontrol
• Industrial engineer
• Since 2002 has worked in Belgocontrol in
a range of technical positions.
• Since 2014, Environment expert relating
to air traffic in the Directorate-General of
Operations
• Since 2016, head of the environment unit
relating to air traffic and design proce-
dures (7 employees).
• 2014-2016: chairwoman of the Standing
Committee Environment of the FABEC
platform (Functional Airspace Block Eu-
rope Central)
• 2016-2017: Special master in environmen-
tal management HEC/ULg – thesis on re-
ducing the impact of aviation on climate
change.

Belgocontrol

Belgocontrol is an autonomous public under-

taking whose mission is to ensure the safety
of air traffic on the ground and in the air
within Belgian air space, by optimising costs
and punctuality, by increasing capacity and
by assuring sustainable development for air
traffic. As the environmental dimensions
have gained in importance, Belgocontrol has
been given the means and the resources to
respond to this development by creating the
Environment and Procedure Design unit in
June 2016.

44
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

BELGOCONTROL

COMPROMISES SO AS
NOT TO COMPROMISE
THE ENVIRONMENT

Noise nuisance, CO2 emissions, air quality…

are the day-to-day business of Marylin Bastin, Head
of Environment & Procedure Design at Belgocontrol.
Her challenge? To successfully reconcile the interests
of the regions, the federal government and Europe and
propose solutions to reduce the environmental impact
of aviation. She explains to us the projects that she is
implementing in collaboration with Brussels Airport
and the airlines.

WHAT MAKES IT SO DIFFICULT TO
RECONCILE THE RULES, LAWS AND
INTERESTS OF THE VARIOUS PARTIES?
“Our instructions, with regard to
whether or not a given zone may be
overflown, come to us from competent
authorities: the Directorate-General for
Aviation and the Minister of Transport.
Our work on reducing the environmen-
tal impact must respect these instruc-
tions, taking into account firstly as-
pects relating to aviation safety, but
also economic development, requests
of the users (the airport and the air-
lines) in addition to the European
Performance Scheme. When it comes
to the environment, there are no ideal
solutions. Our environmental objec-
tives are sometimes in conflict with
one another. An example: to prevent
noise pollution, our government asks
that pilots take longer flight paths,
which has an impact on fuel consump-
tion. From the European side, we get
the opposite request: give the shortest
possible routes to our users in order to
reduce flight times and thus fuel

45
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

consumptions. It’s all a question of

compromise. Where should the priority
CONTINUOUS
be placed? On noise pollution or on
CO2 emissions? Belgocontrol can’t
DESCENT OPERATIONS
make these decisions alone. Whence Benefits of CDO landings compared
the interest of the Collaborative Envi-
to conventional procedures:
ronmental Management (CEM)1 wor-
king groups.”

HOW IS BRUSSELS AIRPORT PUTTING A320 A330

THIS COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMEN- (NARROW-BODY) (WIDE-BODY)

TAL MANAGEMENT INTO PLACE?

“The implementation plan of the

Single European Sky initiative requires Fuel
-50 KG -100 KG
that each airport operates according
to the principle of Collaborative Envi-
ronmental Management (CEM). With
quarterly bilateral meetings between Emissions
-157 KG -314 KG
Belgocontrol and Brussels Airport,
we’re already working together in this
way. We recently prepared a joint en-
vironmental evaluation report on the
introduction of an RNP2 landing proce- Noise
-2 DB -3 DB
dure at Brussels Airport, combining
their data relating to noise measure- Source: https://www.belgocontrol.be/environment-co2-emissions

46
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

ments and our operational analysis. In within the limits imposed by safety. pects, phraseology not understood by
2017, this will be formalised by inclu- During full traffic peak that isn’t pos- the pilot, lack of training, etc.). His
ding the airlines as well. Defining the sible because, without engine power, thesis demonstrated that the method
projects and priorities together greatly the airplane takes longer to descend. for calculating CDOs was outdated.
facilitates their implementation. The The key to a successful continuous Currently, the measured CDOs only
idea behind CEM is that the entire air- descent: communicating to the pilot take account of the number of explicit
port community together determines the precise distance that he still has CDOs given by the air traffic control-
what it proposes to do to reduce the to go. His descent will be optimised if lers. On average that represents only
impact while also considering safety he doesn’t have to level off repeatedly 10 to 15% of the flights. In fact, planes
and capacity aspects as well as econo- or increase power... In 2015, the CDO have a natural tendency to make
mic interests.” applied for all runways.” CDOs, even without having received
the instruction. 50% of the planes
WHAT CONCRETE ACTIONS HAVE SINCE THEN, HAVE OTHER STUDIES descend without a stair-step ap-
ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED BEEN DONE ON THE CDOs? proach, because that allows them to
THANKS TO THE CEM? save litres of fuel.  Consequently, it is
“In 2016, an aeronautical engineering the number of CDOs actually carried
“In 2011, for the CDO3 (Continuous student at the ULB devoted his thesis out that must be measured.”
Descent Operations), we already put to improving the CDOs in Brussels.
CEM into practice by bringing together With the aid of Brussels Airport, he WHAT OTHER INITIATIVES DO YOU
Brussels Airport, Brussels Airlines and questioned 160 pilots representing a HOPE TO SEE ACCOMPLISHED
Belgocontrol. The environment carries majority of the airlines and our 42 air THANKS TO COLLABORATIVE ENVI-
more and more weight; it is now al- traffic controllers specialised in the RONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ?
most as important as safety – which Brussels approach. This thesis made it
of course always takes first place, ob- possible to highlight everything that “During our CEM meetings, we look to-
viously. The approach controllers in­ does not facilitate the CDO (technical gether for ways to improve the CDOs.
struct the pilots to carry out CDO’s or security constraints, operational as- Other essential subjects must be
addressed collaboratively: taking into
account the wind in final approach
(Winds aloft) for choosing runways, the
departure routes (SIDs – Standard Ins-
trument Departure), the de-icing of the
AVIATION JARGON
planes, the air quality (fine particles
and CO2), and the optimisation of the
taxiways to reduce waiting times on
COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (CEM)
the ground. The environment mustn’t
An exchange platform in which the main operational players of an airport participate. They meet
be seen as a constraint, but as a pro-
regularly in order to better understand the challenges and constraints each one of them is facing,
cess to best develop the activities of
to decide on realistic and sustainable actions to be introduced in order to improve environmental
an airline or an airport. Hence the im-
performance, to work out joint proposals and set common priorities.
portance of these collaborations for
setting up realistic and sustainable
RNP = REQUIRED NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE projects.” n
Usually, airplanes navigate with the aid of signals they receive from radio beacons on the ground.
An RNP approach is a procedure that uses satellite data, which makes the navigation more pre-
cise so that one can optimise the flight routes.

CONTINUOUS DESCENT OPERATIONS (CDO)

Flight technique that makes it possible to simultaneously reduce noise pollution, fuel consump-
tion and greenhouse gas emissions. The airplane performs a continuous descent instead of a
stair-step approach, with minimum engine power.

1, 2 and 3: See “Aviation jargon”

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 E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

AGENTSCHAP VOOR NATUUR EN BOS

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW THROUGH

SAFETY GOGGLES

The airport’s vast green spaces make it very attractive to birds, which can create a
risk for air traffic. In this context, how does one reconcile a nature policy with the
strict safety regulations of an airport? Brussels Airport Company studied this
issue together with the Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos, and in the process they
came up with a species management plan.

“
O
ur job is to enable the bird
and wildlife population in
Flanders to thrive as well
as possible”, explains Bert
Verbist from the Flemish
government’s Agentschap voor Natuur
en Bos or ANB (Nature and Forest
Agency). “The airport finds itself in a
very specific situation. All of its green
areas make it a highly attractive envi-
ronment for many species of birds. At
the same time, of course, these animals
can pose a huge risk for aviation safety.
The challenge is to keep species protec-
tion possible without impacting aviation
safety.” Walda Geusens, employee of
the Airside Services department at
Brussels Airport Company, adds: “The
regulations can sometimes even be
contradictory. As an airport, we’re
obliged to follow the international
safety legislation. But we’re located on
Flemish territory, so we also have to re-
spect the Flemish regulations on the
protection of fauna and flora.”
± 8 000 an hour
THAT’S HOW MANY BIRDS WERE
OBSERVED DURING THE TEST PERIOD
BY THE BIRD DETECTION RADAR IN THE
VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT. THIS FIGURE
IS COMPARABLE TO A NORMAL ACTIVITY
DURING MIGRATION PERIODS.
MULTI-STAGE APPROACH
The cooperation between ANB and
Brussels Airport Company resulted in
a species management plan in 2011.
“This permits us to deviate from the
species protection regulations in cer-
tain cases”, explains Bert Verbist. For
example, Brussels Airport may re-
move nests, eggs and the young of
certain animal species. And if an im-
mediate danger threatens air traffic, it
is also authorised to kill animals. “But
that’s always the last resort”, Walda
Geusens emphasises. “We work in a
progressive way. The first step is to
dissuade: we try to make the airport
less attractive for birds. The second
step is to chase them off. In this way
we try to avoid the last step, which
would be shooting the animals.”

48
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

In the field, from left to right: Neal Van Acoleyen (Controller Bird Control Unit at Brussels Airport),
Bert Verbist (ANB), Walda Geusens and Jan Geeraerts from Brussels Airport.

1 2 3
The first step is to keep the animals In the second step the animals Bird-bangers can also chase away
away from the airport, e.g. by plant- are scared off with recorded bird the birds, which are only shot for
ing bad-tasting grasses. distress cries. real in emergency situations.

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BIRD CONTROL UNIT

UNDER STUDY
Out in the field it’s the Bird Control
Unit of Brussels Airport that puts this
approach into practice. A seven-person
team headed by Jan Geeraerts patrols
the airport grounds from sunrise to
sunset. “The intention of our patrols is
to keep the birds as far as possible
outside the danger zones”, says Jan
Geeraerts. “We use several techniques
for this. We try to scare them off with
distress cries, which are actual re-
EFFECTIVE BIRD RADAR
corded bird sounds. Sometimes we
also set off ‘bird bangers’: the bright Observing and watching out for birds is one of the main tasks of the Bird
flash of light and the loud explosion Control Unit. But visual observations have their limits. Walda Geusens: “Our
generally make them fly away.” bird and wildlife controllers are out in the field continuously from sunrise to
sunset. But at night there’s not much more they can see. Also, ordinary
The Bird Control Unit also plays an im- visual observations aren’t good enough for detecting birds at high alti-
portant role in the preventive and pro- tudes.” Brussels Airport is therefore studying the installation of a bird de-
active management of the fauna and tection radar. A test was conducted at the airport in August 2016. “Such a
flora on and around the airport. Jan radar system can make observations day and night, that’s already a big ad-
Geeraerts: “If the birds of prey no vantage. Moreover, it also delivers additional data, including about flight
longer find food here, they’ll stay away patterns. That can help us to, for example, identify places of attraction such
from the airport. And so we try, for ex- as nesting and feeding sites.” Brussels Airport is continuing to study the
ample, to chase off rabbits and keep possibilities for a long-term project with the bird detection radar.
mice away.”

ALTERNATIVES

The first species management plan

ran until 2016 and was recently re-
newed, because both parties ex-
pressed satisfaction with the collabo-
ration. Bert Verbist: “From our
standpoint, all preventive measures
are an added value. With Brussels
Airport we’ve come up with a good
model, one that we now want to roll
BAD-TASTING GRASSES
out at the other airports in Flanders Brussels Airport is constantly reviewing new developments that can help
as well.” optimise the habitat management on the airport grounds. For example, the
use of endophytic grass varieties is being studied in collaboration with the
“For us, it’s important to have a range University of Ghent. These grass varieties contain a particular type of fun-
of measures that we can apply”, says gus in the roots that causes them to taste bad to animals that feed on
Walda Geusens. “The animals some- them. “Along with rabbits, mice are a major source of food for the birds of
times get accustomed to certain ac- prey around the airport”, explains Walda Geusens of Brussels Airport
tions. Through ANB we have access to Company. “If we can reduce the mice and rabbit population, the airport will
a whole range of alternatives, as a re- become a less attractive habitat for these birds. Mice and rabbits don’t like
sult of which the measures retain endophytic grass varieties, so we’re looking at whether we can grow pre-
their effectiveness.” n cisely these varieties on the airport grounds.”

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 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

ZAVENTEM, FLEMISH BRABANT AND ANB

A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF A
SUPER COLLABORATION

Several players with different responsibilities together created in the

green spaces around the airport a recreational woods: the ‘Speelbos’.

51
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
T
he idea of creating a recrea-
tional woods came from Brus-
sels Airport itself. “We are the
owner of the parcel of land
closest to the airport site, and
we had long been wondering how we
could best use that green area”, Caroline
Bossuyt, Environment Manager, ex-
plains. “It’s important for the airport that
birds be kept away from the aircraft in
as environmentally-friendly a manner as
possible. Hence the idea of a recreational
woods full of activity and noise. Then the
birds will remain away of their own ac-
cord. Currently we already have a walk-
ing circuit, a biking track, a dog meadow,
a picnic space and a few pieces of play-
ground equipment. In the long run, a
plane spotting platform and a fitness
trail are going to be added.”
EVERYONE ON THE SAME LINE
The municipality of Zaventem was
quickly won over by the idea. “You
must understand that, in the regional
plans of the 1970s, Zaventem was not
THE AIRPORT’S
GREEN SPACES
515 hectares
ARE OPEN LAND
9 hectares
ARE CATALOGUED AS FOREST AND MANAGED
IN A FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN
52
blessed with a surfeit of green zones”,
environmental official Guido Declercq
explains. “So if a good proposal comes
The recreational area along to expand an existing woods and
organise it in a child-friendly manner,
already offers a we’re the first to get on board.” Mayor
walking circuit, a Ingrid Holemans nods in agreement.
“It’s an ideal opportunity for children
biking track, a picnic and adults to discover and enjoy a re-
maining bit of green on the fringe of
space, a dog meadow the metropolitan area. Moreover, this
recreational woods is really a textbook
and a few pieces of example of a super-collaboration. We’ll
playground equipment. do everything necessary to make this
project a success.” The province of
Flemish Brabant, owner of two other
C aroline B ossuyt , E nvironment M anager ,
B russels A irport C ompany adjacent parcels of land, also looked
favourably on the plan. “We immedi-
ately offered our support”, says deputy
Tie Roefs. “The INL team (Intermunici-
pal Nature and Landscape team) of the
municipality of Zaventem will maintain
the woods as necessary and ensure
that the paths are kept clear through-
out the year,” says Dirk Buysse, a
member of the province’s Nature de-
partment staff.
413 hectares
OF AIRSIDE GRASSLAND
102 hectares
OF LANDSIDE GRASSLAND
9 hectares
THE TOTAL SURFACE AREA FOR
OF WHICH 10 HECTARES COVERED WHICH AN ACCESSIBILITY
WITH SHRUBS AND CONIFERS. REGULATION HAS BEEN DRAWN
UP AMOUNTS TO 9 HECTARES,
INCLUDING 2 HECTARES OF
RECREATIONAL WOODS
 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

OFFICIAL RECREATIONAL WOODS

“We’ve now confirmed something that

already existed but which was being
used to only a limited extent”, says
Erik Rennen, Environment alderman
in Zaventem. “The scouts of
Nossegem and Zaventem have al-
ready been using the recreational
woods for many years, but the official
designation as a ‘Speelbos’ expands
the possibilities.” The official commis-
sioning is also associated with a se-
ries of safety rules. “We’ve put up the
necessary signs, as well as a simpli-
fied version of the rules to be re-
spected by visitors at various points
in the woods”, says Johnny Cornelis of
the Nature and Forest Agency.
“Should something go wrong here,
the citizens involved are covered by
insurance. If it was up to the compe-
tent Minister, Joke Schauvliege, ulti-
mately every municipality would get
such a recreational area devoted to
leisure activities.” n

They helped make

the ‘Speelbos’ possible

› Tie Roefs,
Representative, Flemish Brabant
› Dirk Buysse,
Nature department employee, province of
Flemish Brabant
› Ingrid Holemans,
Mayor of Zaventem
› Erik Rennen,
Environment alderman, Zaventem
› Guido Declercq,
Environmental official, Zaventem
› Johnny Cornelis,
Employee, Nature and Forest Agency
› Caroline Bossuyt,
Environment Manager, Brussels Airport Company

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E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

TEC4JETS AND TUI GROUP

AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY
OR INNOVATION IN MOTION

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has already received a great deal of media
attention. “That certainly has to do with the comfort on board, such as
improved cabin pressure control and unequalled room between the seats”,
says Peter Vervliet, Quality Assurance Manager of Tec4Jets. “But the real
genius of the Dreamliner lies in the technology.”

Tec4Jets and TUI Group

Tec4Jets is the TUI Group’s maintenance

company. With 120 employees, including 90
engineers, they maintain a 24-unit fleet that
flies to more than one hundred airports.
Brussels Airport is the headquarters of the
Tec4Jets maintenance services, but Tec4Jets
is also responsible for maintaining different
types of aircraft, belonging to both the TUI
Group and other companies, in France (Lille),
Morocco (Marrakesh), the United States
(Lansing) and several other Belgian airports
(Charleroi, Deurne, Liège, Ostend).

In the coming years the TUI Group will con-

tinue to invest in new airplanes and envi-
ronmentally-friendly technology, such as
electric recharging stations. In 2016 TUI
also took many small environmental initia-
tives dealing with e.g. fuel consumption,
waste processing and paper consumption.

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 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

QUIETER AND MORE ECONOMICAL

Peter Vervliet: “The Dreamliner is one

of the most important innovations in
recent years, from the chevrons on
the engine through the use of carbon
fibre to the curve of the fan blades. A
lot of economic and ecological pro-
gress has been built into this aircraft.
For example, the Dreamliner flies
much more economically than its
predecessor, the B767. Over a dis-
tance of 7 000 km it requires two
tonnes less fuel on average. That cor-
responds to around six tonnes less One of the most important innovations of the Dreamliner are its curved fan blades.

CO2 emissions. It’s also significantly

quieter. The chevrons – those are the
saw-tooth patterns on the trailing
edges of jet engine nozzles – ensure
a controlled mixing of the air that
passes through and along the engine.
Due to this change, a gigantic plane
such as the Dreamliner produces only
85 decibels of noise on takeoff, a re-
duction of no less than 60% com-
pared to older aircraft types. With its
85 decibels, the Dreamliner thus gen-
erates no more noise than the traffic
on a busy road.”
SMALL ADAPTATIONS,
BIG DIFFERENCE
Along with economic interests, environ-
mental restrictions also encourage air-
craft manufacturers to make techno­
logical innovations. Frederic Dewandel,
Environment Manager of TUIfly
Belgium and a pilot in training: “We
don’t just comply with the environmen-
tal measures that the authorities im-
pose on us. We also take sustainability
measures on our own initiative in order
to reduce CO2 emissions even further.
For example, we recently implemented
procedures as a result of which our air-
planes, when taxiing, use only a single
engine instead of two. All of these initi-
atives individually deliver a modest eco-
logical advantage, but as we all know,
many small steps make a big change.
And so these many minor adaptations
in combination are producing a world of
difference.” n

WHY IS THE DREAMLINER THE MOST RECENT AND BIGGEST INNOVATION?

LIGHTER MORE ECONOMICAL

THE USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS SUCH AS NEW TYPE OF UPRIGHT WING
CARBON FIBRE ELIMINATES A SUBSTANTIAL EXTENSION (WINGLETS) THAT
AMOUNT OF WEIGHT, AND LEADS TO FUEL REDUCES AIR RESISTANCE, LEADING
SAVINGS OF NO LESS THAN 20%. TO A FUEL SAVING OF 1.5%.

MAINTENANCE 60% QUIETER

EASY TO MAINTAIN DUE TO SIMPLIFIED SYSTEMS – SMALLER NOISE FOOTPRINT –
JUST THINK OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. 60% LESS NOISE THAN ITS PREDECESSOR.

55
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

Gerd Van Damme, Dominique Brochier and Pieter Beliën from TCR: a 360-degree view of the environment.

TCR

TCR leases out ground support equipment such as bag-

gage belt loaders and aircraft tow trucks, sells them
second-hand, and has service and maintenance work-
shops at over fifty airports, including Brussels Airport.
The company has specialised knowledge in house, in-
cluding in the areas of gate positioning and equipment
bundling. The company has already received ISO 14001
environmental certification in several countries where it
is active. Numerous environmental initiatives are being
taken at the Brussels Airport site, from the use of rain-
water for cleaning ground support equipment to the
promotion of public transport.

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 PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

TCR

WE KNOW THE TOTAL CO2 IMPACT

OF EVERY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT

On the tarmac of Brussels Airport you’ll see a lot of aircraft tow trucks
as well as specialised equipment such as baggage belt loaders and
mobile ground power units. Most of this equipment is leased out by
TCR, a Belgian specialist in ground handling equipment, which actively
supports Brussels Airport’s environmental policy.

T
CR addresses the environ-
mental issue in a comprehen-
sive manner. For them the
theme fits within a broader
vision of corporate social
responsibility. To limit the environmen-
tal impact, they follow the Cradle to
Cradle principle from the initial material
choice to recycling at the end of service
life. Dominique Brochier, Occupational
Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE)
Coordinator: “We issued a report on our
corporate social responsibility for the
first time in 2015. In ten working groups
we then looked at various dimensions
of our operations, and that process
generated (amongst other things) five
priorities for the environment and,
along with energy, waste, water and
soil, there was also Green GSE (Ground
Support Equipment).”
I would estimate CO2 EMISSION TOOL
that we have an Gerd Van Damme, Asset Director: “You
electric solution always have to see something like
Green GSE in the proper context. We
for eighty percent have an impact on the equipment that
we lease out and on the way it’s main-
of the cases. tained – but not on the actual use.
Here at Brussels Airport our electric
P ieter B eliën , G eneral M anager , TCR
equipment is powered by green elec-
tricity, but elsewhere that electricity
might come from a coal-fired power-
plant. So the same piece of equipment
can be much more eco-friendly in one
country than in another. In order to
know the exact environmental impact,

57
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT
The electric baggage belt loaders run on green electricity.
we monitor all aspects over the entire
life cycle, using an emission tool that
we developed ourselves.”
POSITIVE IMPACT
TCR’s tool takes account of the im-
pact of material choice, transport, use
and consumption, maintenance and
repairs, and recycling at the end of
service life. In this way TCR knows
the total impact of the CO2 emissions
of its equipment. “Because we not
only lease out but also maintain all
TCR WORLDWIDE, IN FIGURES
150
MILLION EUROS TURNOVER
58
PA RT N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
our equipment, we’ve gathered an
enormous amount of data”, says
Gerd Van Damme. “The life cycle of
each spare part is contained in our in-
formation and management system.
We use these data to provide feed-
back to the manufacturers. As a
major player we can have a positive
impact, certainly in Europe.”
ELECTRICITY NOT MORE EXPENSIVE
Pieter Beliën, General Manager: “On
the basis of our tool, we decide what
780+
FULL-TIME JOBS
24 000
FLEET UNITS
equipment we will and will not invest
in. Electric vehicles certainly aren’t
more expensive. An electric baggage
belt loader is cheaper than a diesel
belt loader that emits twice as much
CO2. For small-scale equipment, elec-
tric has even become the standard.
Seventy percent of our belt loaders at
Brussels Airport are already electric
today, and I would estimate that we
have an electric solution for eighty per-
cent of the cases. At the initiative of
Brussels Airport, we get together twice
a year to examine the CO2 footprint of
the airport’s activities in their entirety.
And we also see one another in vari-
ous consultation committees. Here,
too, the environment is the central
focus of attention.” n
As a major player,
we can exercise
a positive impact.
G erd V an D amme , A sset D irector , TCR
600+
MILLION EUROS FLEET VALUE
E N V I R O N M E N TA L K E Y F I G U R E S

2016
E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT E N V I R O N M E N TA L K E Y F I G U R E S

AIR EMISSIONS

EVOLUTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES

(COMBUSTION, GAS, HEATING OIL, DIESEL) 2010
25 000

20 000
22 668
TONNES OF ACTUAL
CO2 EMISSIONS
15 000

10 000
2016
5 000

0
16 345
TONNES OF ACTUAL
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 CO2 EMISSIONS

ACTUAL CO2 EMISSIONS (TONNES) STANDARDISED CO2 EMISSIONS* (TONNES)

* For the standardised CO2 emission this is corrected on the basis of the outdoor temperature (correction to degree days)

WATER WASTE

TAP WATER CONSUMPTION (IN m3)

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000
2 134
TONNES OF RESIDUAL WASTE
26%
RECYCLED NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY

EVOLUTION OF TOTAL YIELD OF GREEN ELECTRICITY (IN MWh) ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION (IN GJPRIM/m2) SAVING OF

3 000 3,0 11
COMPARED
%
2 500 2,5
TO 2010
2 000 2,0

1 500 1,5

1 000 1,0

500 0,5

0 0
2010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

** Placement of first solar panels in 2011

3% OF OUR ELECTRICITY
CONSUMPTION IN 2016
THROUGH SOLAR PANELS
2 828
MWh = 808
FAMILIES
 E N V I R O N M E N TA L K E Y F I G U R E S E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O RT

MOBILITY

65 000
TRAVELLERS
20 000
EMPLOYEES
20 000 CARS
200
TRAINS
1 000 BUSES
500
TRUCKS

PASSENGERS & FLIGHTS SOIL

1,2% 4,0%
2000

2016

IS POLLUTED TO IS POLLUTED,
326 000 A LIMITED DEGREE, FURTHER APPROACH
NO CLEAN-UP IS REQUIRED.
21 818 418 IS REQUIRED.

21 600 000
224 000

+1% -31% 94,8%

PASSENGERS FLIGHTS IS CLEAN

NOISE

NIGHT SLOTS AND NIGHT MOVEMENTS NUMBER OF PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED

26 000 35 000
24 000

22 000 30 000
20 000

18 000 25 000

16 000
20 000
14 000

12 000
15 000
10 000

8 000
10 000
6 000 DATA NOT
4 000 DATA NOT AVAILABLE* 5 000 AVAILABLE***
2 000

0 0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NIGHT SLOTS ARRIVALS NIGHT SLOTS TAKE-OFFS Source: Independent study directed by Dick Botteldooren, acoustics professor at the University of Ghent.

NIGHT MOVEMENTS**

* No monitoring figures from Belgian Slot Coordination available.

** Number of night movements – incl. helicopter flights and flights exempted from slot coordination (e.g. military flights, government flights, medical flights, humanitarian missions, etc.).
*** Calculation performed with a different version of the INM computing model.
W W W. B R U S S E L S A I R P O R T. B E