ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2017...*** Calculation performed with a diff erent version of the INM computing model. IS POLLUTED TO A LIMITED DEGREE, NO CLEAN-UP IS REQUIRED. IS CLEAN IS POLLUTED,

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

2 0 1 6

W W W. B R U S S E L S A I R P O R T. B E

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7

BRUSSELS AIRPORT COMPANY

COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

BRUSSELS AIRPORT SATELLITE

1930 ZAVENTEM

RESPONSIBLE EDITOR:

NATHALIE VAN IMPE

WWW.BRUSSELSAIRPORT.BE

FOLLOW US ON ANY QUESTIONS

OR REMARKS:

[email protected]

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000

02010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

3,0

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

02010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY

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

NOISE

TAP WATER CONSUMPTION (IN m3)

-31% FLIGHTS

200

0

2016

21 600 000

21 818 418

326 000

224 000

2 828MWh

808FAMILIES

PASSENGERS & FLIGHTS

MOBILITY

SOIL

+1% PASSENGERS

WATER

NIGHT SLOTS ARRIVALS NIGHT SLOTS TAKE-OFFS

* No monitoring fi gures 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 diff erent version of the INM computing model.

IS POLLUTED TO

A LIMITED DEGREE,

NO CLEAN-UP

IS REQUIRED.

IS CLEAN

IS POLLUTED,

FURTHER APPROACH

IS REQUIRED.

94,8%

1,2% 4,0%

65 000TRAVELLERS

20 000EMPLOYEES

20 000CARS

200TRAINS

1 000BUSES

500TRUCKS

NUMBER OF PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED

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

35 000

30 000

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

DATA NOT AVAILABLE***

=3%

11%COMPARED

TO 2010

OF OUR ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION IN 2016 THROUGH SOLAR PANELS

NIGHT MOVEMENTS**

NIGHT SLOTS AND NIGHT MOVEMENTS

Source: Independent study directed by Dick Botteldooren, acoustics professor at the University of Ghent.

AIR EMISSIONS

2 134TONNES OF RESIDUAL WASTE

26%RECYCLED NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE

TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

16 3452016

TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

22 6682010

WASTE

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

** Placement of fi rst solar panels in 2011

EVOLUTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES (COMBUSTION, GAS, HEATING OIL, DIESEL)

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

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

SAVING OF

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TE N V I R O N M E N T A L K E Y F I G U R E S E N V I R O N M E N T A L K E Y F I G U R E S

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

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

DATA NOT AVAILABLE*




1930 ZAVENTEM

RESPONSIBLE EDITOR:

NATHALIE VAN IMPE



OR REMARKS:

[email protected]

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000

02010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

3,0

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

02010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY


NOISE


-31% FLIGHTS

200

0

2016

21 600 000

21 818 418

326 000

224 000

2 828MWh

808FAMILIES


MOBILITY

SOIL

+1% PASSENGERS

WATER





IS POLLUTED TO

A LIMITED DEGREE,

NO CLEAN-UP

IS REQUIRED.

IS CLEAN

IS POLLUTED,

FURTHER APPROACH

IS REQUIRED.

94,8%

1,2% 4,0%

65 000TRAVELLERS

20 000EMPLOYEES

20 000CARS

200TRAINS

1 000BUSES

500TRUCKS


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

35 000

30 000

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0


=3%

11%COMPARED

TO 2010


NIGHT MOVEMENTS**



AIR EMISSIONS



TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

16 3452016

TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

22 6682010

WASTE





2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

SAVING OF


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

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

DATA NOT AVAILABLE*

E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7

Together for a sustainable airport, today and tomorrow

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

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T F O R E W O R D

Over 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.

Our plans for 2040 are ambitious but attainable, and we are imple-menting them step by step. For in-stance, we have now drawn up more concrete plans for the coming five years. Our primary objective is to create a framework within which we can continue our development.

We took the voluntary initiative to enter into an open and construc-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

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!

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.

7

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TF O R E W O R D

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE

AIRPORT Yves Van Hooland,

Director Infrastructure & Real Estate,

explains in detail the crucial role of

infrastructure in the environmental

and energy policy.

EVERYONE TAKING ACTION

What the many partners of

Brussels Airport are doing, and

how we’re working together.

14

38

AN AMBITIOUS AND BROADLY-SUPPORTED ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

10

PIONEERING WORK Our largest renovation project of 2016

18

8

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T C O N T E N T S

MULTITUDE OF MEASURES

The large and small actions of Brussels Airport.

22

32MARINA BYLINSKY (ACI EUROPE)

Objective zero emissions

STIJN DE SMEDT About the airport’s new mobility plan: “We have a role-model function.”

36

n Car Free Week

n Operation clean-up

n VMM verifies air quality

n NMBS transporting more people to the airport

n Sheraton invests in energy-saving devices

n DHL encourages carpooling

n Ministry of Defence initiates soil remediation project

n Emirates turns bottles into blankets

n Aviapartner offers trees for the planet

n Qatar Airways, the quietest airline

44 BELGOCONTROL: Compromises so as not to compromise the environment

48 ANB: Bird’s-eye view through safety glasses

54 TEC4JETS: Aircraft technology or innovation in motion

56 TCR: We know the total CO2 impact of every piece of equipment

ZAVENTEM, FLEMISH BRABANT AND AGENTSCHAP NATUUR EN BOS: The ‘Speelbos’, a textbook example of super collaboration

51

n More efficient aircraft de-icing

n Biological water purification

n Going home with the right tyre pressure

n Not enough grass cuttings for fermentation unit

n Save time by biking

n Sustainable environmental and energy management

n Busy bees

n Old grasslands full of life

n Good riddance

A clear focus on noise reduction 22-25

9

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TC O N T E N T S

S T R A T E G Y A N D P O L I C Y

AN AMBITIOUS AND BROADLY-SUPPORTED

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

The 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

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.

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T C O M M I T M E N T

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ENERGY CONSUMPTION

C02 EMISSIONS

WATER CONSUMPTION

WASTE RECYCLING

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.

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.

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.

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.

OBJECTIVE BY 2030

-25%RESULT IN 2016

-11%

OBJECTIVE BY 2030

-40%RESULT IN 2016

-27%

OBJECTIVE BY 2015-16

-10%RESULT IN 2016

-15%

OBJECTIVE BY 2015-16

30%RESULT IN 2016

26%

OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCES

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TC O M M I T M E N T

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ONE POLICY, EIGHT THEMES

NOISE

Brussels Airport is working together with the airlines and the public authorities to reduce the noise pollution of aircraft as much as possible.

AIR EMISSIONS

Air quality and energy policy are closely linked, since reducing the consumptionof fossil fuels decreases gas emissions into the atmosphere. That’s why we are making considerable efforts to improve our energy policy, and why we are encouraging the airlines to take steps to limit their impact on the environment.

ENERGY

The airport opts for more renewable energy and for a reduction in energy consumption; we consume around 10% less energy compared to 2010.

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.

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T T H E M E S

1 2

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.

WASTE

From restaurant staff to cleaning teams: the active involvement of all partners at the airport is a central element in our waste policy.

MOBILITY

Brussels Airport encourages sustainable mobility, which means more public transport, more bikes and more ecological cars.

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.

T H E M E S E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T

1 3

• 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

Yves Van Hooland

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).

1 4


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

I N F R A S T R U C T U R E

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.

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

“

1 5


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

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

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-

When we renovate

buildings or renew

installations, it’s done

from the perspective of

better energy

performances as well.

Yves van Hooland, director infrastructure & real estate, Brussels airport companY

Leading companies are establishing themselves at the airport. In January 2017 Deloitte moved into a brand-new building.

1 6


“Every two months we sit down together with representatives from several

departments in order to reflect about the energy policy, to analyse and

evaluate the energy consumption, and to make plans for the future”, says

Yves Van Hooland. “This multidisciplinary approach makes it very

interesting, since you get input from people with different perspectives,

ideas, backgrounds and concerns. Because this energy team covers several

departments, you end up with decisions that are supported very broadly

within the company. It isn’t a single department that is imposing some-

thing. No, it’s real teamwork.” Amongst others, the replacement of old

halogen lamps with energy-saving LED lamps along the runways and the

investment in Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage for Connector were initia-

tives of the energy team.

response to the expected passenger growth in aviation. Worldwide growth is estimated at 3.8% per year and for Europe at 2.5%. Brussels Airport has to prepare itself for this, including through its infrastructure. In so doing, we intend to make every effort to limit the impact on the environment.”

HOW ATTRACTIVE IS THE AIRPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES?

“The airport is a highly attractive place for international companies. Deloitte has recently set up office at the air-port. KPMG and Microsoft will soon be establishing themselves in the Passport office building that is cur-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

SAVING ENERGY IS TEAMWORK

ENERGY

The energy team

1 7


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.

Philip Autekie

Philippe Van Bouwel works for

the Infrastructure & Real Estate

department. He is responsible for

the large airside infrastructure

works at the airport.

Philippe Van Bouwel

1 8


For 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

R E N O V A T I O N

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.

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-

2 987 METRES LONG

3 600 LED LAMPS

500 PEOPLE AT WORK IN PEAK PERIODS

25 million EUROS INVESTED

4 600TRUCK TRANSPORTS

AVOIDED

990TONNES OF CO2 EMISSIONS

COULD BE PREVENTED

115 000 TONNES OF

RECYCLED ASPHALT

RUNWAY 01/19 THE RENOVATION (BETWEEN 26 JULY 2016 AND 9 SEPTEMBER 2016 )

“

1 9


sented an investment of around 25 million euros, so we were obliged to put out a European call for tenders, and that in itself is a time-consuming 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 IMPACT STUDY ENTAIL?

Philip Autekie: “In an impact study like this one, the project team works out several construction site scenarios and weighs them against one another. The goal is to minimise the impact of the works. We look at the costs, but we also examine the consequences for the air traffic, for the nearby residents and the environment. As far as the environ-ment is concerned, this primarily in-volves the noise impact of the works. During the works, the preferential run-way system cannot always be applied, because one of the runways is out of service. The duration of the works has a major impact on the nearby resi-dents and the capacity of the airport, so we want to keep the implementa-tion period as brief as possible.” n

The goal is

to minimise

the impact

of the works.

pHilip autekie, senior project manager strategic development, Brussels airport companY

0 1

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0 3

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Recycle asphalt on siteA big construction site generates a lot of site traffic. But by recycling the asphalt on site, the number of transports can be reduced and traffic disturbance on the surrounding roads is limited.

(Re)use water To control dust pollution, the asphalt is milled out under a constant water spray, using rain-water from one of the airport’s retention basins.

Choose better materialsA slightly more sustainable type of asphalt was selected.

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

Install low-energy lighting The replacement of old halogen lamps with energy-saving LED lamps delivers an energy saving of 600 000 kilowatt-hours per year. This corresponds to the annual energy consumption of 171 families.

5 WAYS TO MORE SUSTAINABLY RENOVATE A RUNWAY

2 0


LED IT BEBrussels 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).

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.

11 000 AIRFIELD LIGHTS

4 000 KM OF CABLE

3 600LAMPS ALREADY REPLACED

320HOUSEHOLDS PER YEAR

=SAVINGSINSTALLATION

2 1


C A S E S A N D E X A M P L E S

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

Brussels Airport is continuing to invest in measures to limit the airport’s noise pollution. As a good neighbour, we’re doing everything we can to reduce the ground noise.

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-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 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.

33 889PERSONS POTENTIALLY HIGHLY ANNOYED



2000

2015

2016

NOISE


2 2

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R T B R U S S E L S A I R P O R T I N A C T I O N

REDUCED TAXI TIMESBy 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 (PRE-CONDITIONED AIR) By providing a 400 Hz connection (electricity) and PCA to Piers A and B and to platform 60, and soon to plat-form 9 as well, the noisy auxiliary power unit in the tail of the plane can be shut off during the handling.

FEWER TANK TRUCKSThanks to the underground kerosene pipelines, fewer tank trucks are driving on the tarmac, hence lower emissions and less noise, and a smaller risk of in-cidents.

LIMITED NUMBER OF NIGHT SLOTS

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.

SILENT WEEKEND NIGHTS

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.

NOISE CERTIFICATES

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.

3 MEASURES FOR LIMITING GROUND NOISE

5 MEASURES TO LIMIT AIR NOISE


* 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.)


DATA NOT AVAILABLE**

NIGHT MOVEMENTS***

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

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

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E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TB R U S S E L S A I R P O R T I N A C T I O N

NOISE-DIFFERENTIATED TAKE-OFF 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.

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

05%

00%R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8

DISTRIBUTION BY NOISE CATEGORY

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.

A FEW EXAMPLES OF FREQUENTLY SEEN AIRCRAFT TYPES AT BRUSSELS AIRPORT

NOISE CATEGORIES: 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

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.

2015 2016

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Lden CONTOURS

2000Lden contour 55 dB



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 CONTOURSThanks 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 CONTOURSFor 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 ANOMSToday 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.

MEASURING TODAY TO DO EVEN BETTER TOMORROW

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MORE EFFICIENT AIRCRAFT DE-ICING

Keeping airplanes ice- and snow-free during the winter is crucial for guaranteeing passenger safety and making safe take-offs possible. The process involved is called de-icing.

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-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-way. We plan to progressively double the capacity of this plat-form by the winter of 2019, because it offers many benefits.

Brussels Airport puts

de-icing waste water

to good use in its own

water treatment facility.

joHan deckx from trevi, environmental tecHnologY and consulting firm

40% FASTER 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.

MUCH SAFER 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.

LESS DE-ICING 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.

WATER

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BIOLOGICAL WATER PURIFICATION

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.”

MICROORGANISMS BREAK DOWN THE POLLUTION. AERATORS GIVE THE MICROORGANISMS OXYGEN.

THE MICROORGANISMS GROW INTO SLUDGE

FLAKES.

THE WASTE WATER FROM THE TERMINAL ENDS UP - VIA

THE SEWER SYSTEM - IN THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

WASTE WATER FROM AIRCRAFT IS COLLECTED

IN STORAGE TANKS.

THE WASTE WATER COMES FROM THE AIRPLANES AND

THE TERMINAL.

THE FLAKES ARE SEPARATED FROM THE WATER THROUGH

SEDIMENTATION (TOGETHER WITH NITROGEN

AND PHOSPHORUS).

THE EXCESS SLUDGE IS TRANSPORTED AND

INCINERATED WITH HEAT RECOVERY.

03

04

02

01 02 05 06

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.

WATER

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GOING HOME WITH THE RIGHT TYRE PRESSURE

63%NOT OK (129 CARS)

37%OK (79 CARS)

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-

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

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.

NOT ENOUGH GRASS CUTTINGS FOR FERMENTATION UNIT

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.

AIR EMISSIONS

ENERGY

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SAVE TIME BY BIKING

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.

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Brussels Airport Company has an inte-grated environmental and energy man-agement system that is certified under the international standards ISO 14001 (environment) and 50001 (energy). The ISO 14001 standard for environmental management was revised in 2015.

This standard describes the conditions an organisation has to satisfy in order to manage its environmental impact. The changes put the emphasis on leader-ship, process management, risk man-agement and stakeholder management. More attention is also paid to raising awareness of policy and management, internal and external communication and change management.

In the 2016-2017 period, Brussels Air-port is working on an action plan in order to meet the renewed standard. Recertification of the environmental and energy management system is on the agenda for 2018.

Brussels Airport is striving to harmo-nise the various management systems as much as possible. For environmen-tal, energy, safety and quality control, synergies and integration are possible that can make the management more effective.

For environmental,

energy, safety and

quality control, synergies

and integration are

possible that can make

the management

more effective

MOBILITY

Sonja Gehlen, Central Services Manager in Infrastructure & Real Estate,bikes regularly from the Satellite building to building 32.

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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.

100 000WORKER BEES,

10 000 DRONES,

2 QUEENS

18 KG OF AIRPORT HONEY

BUSY BEES

The beehive is opened and

the beekeeper knocks on

the honey super to shoo the

bees into the brood box.

The frames are removed from

the box to inspect them: do

they contain mainly brood or

primarily honey?

The queen is held in a

capture clamp so she’s

sure not to get lost.

BIODIVERSITY

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GOOD RIDDANCE

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.

OLD GRASSLANDS FULL OF LIFE

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 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 common blue is making a comeback.

The small heath feels right at home here.

BIODIVERSITY

SOIL

3 1


R E D U C I N G A T M O S P H E R I C E M I S S I O N S

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.

3 2


WHAT AMBITIOUS TARGET DOES ACI 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

determination to make a responsible commitment to sustainable develop-ment, and the savings achieved encou-rage them to continue their efforts, as well as the positive image that this of-ficial recognition offers, recognised by the highest authorities such as the Framework Convention of the United Nations on Climate Change or the Euro-pean Commission. In general, the grea-ter the efforts an airport has already made to reduce its emissions, the less manoeuvring room there will be to achieve further reductions. However, each year, to be re-accredited, airports 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

201625 AIRPORTS ACCREDITED AT 3+

IN EUROPE

OBJECTIVE 203050 CARBON NEUTRAL AIRPORTS,

INCLUDING BRUSSELS AIRPORT

25

50

MAPPING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT

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).

REDUCTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS

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.

OPTIMISATION AND AWARENESS-RAISING OF AIRPORT PARTNERS

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.

CARBON NEUTRALITY

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.

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:

3 3


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,

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

• 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

Marina Bylinsky

3 4


BRUSSELS AIRPORT: SHARPENED AMBITION

OBJECTIVE 2030

RESULT 2015

-40 %

-27 %

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-

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-

bon neutral.

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

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.

65%

-206 090 TONNES

COMBINED RESULTS OF ALL 153* CERTIFIED AIRPORTS (FROM 1 TO 3+) IN THE WORLD:

PER PASSENGER, GROWING REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS IN KG

EQUIVALENT OF CO2 SINCE 2010.

GLOBAL AVERAGE

2.26 KG CO2

BRUSSELS AIRPORT

1.76 KG CO2

GLOBAL AVERAGE

2.10 KG CO2

BRUSSELS AIRPORT

1.60 KG CO2

20142015

20152016

REDUCTION IN CO2 EMISSIONS OF 206 090 TONNES

RECORDED BETWEEN MAY 2015 AND MAY 2016

65% OF PASSENGERS IN EUROPE USE

CERTIFIED AIRPORTS

* May 2016 figures

3 5


• 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.

Stijn De Smedt Waiting 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-

M O B I L I T Y P L A N

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.

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

“

3 6


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

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

In terms of total travelling time,

for one in three of our employees

public transport is a competitive

solution for their commute to work.

We have our own train station right

below the airport building. How many

companies can claim this?

stijn de smedt, Head of emploYee services, Brussels airport companY

stijn de smedt, Head of emploYee services, Brussels airport companY

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 maxi mum 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

3 7


C A S E S A N D E X A M P L E S

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.

4 TONNES OF CO2 SAVED

CAR FREE WEEK

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 speaksMélodie 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.”

74 000 km OR TWICE AROUND THE EARTH

=

MOBILITY

3 8

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

OPERATION CLEAN-UP

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

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.

The restaurant staff sorts organic waste, napkins, disposable cups and

packagings in waste containers in a temporary storage room.

Personnel and passengers sort paper & cardboard, PMD (Plastics, Metals

and Drink cartons) and residual waste in the waste bins specially provided

for this purpose.

Cleaning staff prevent littering, pick up the waste in

the toilets and keep the airport floor clean.

The security agents sort liquids and gels that are not allowed in

the hand luggage of travellers.

WASTE

3 9

E N V I R O N M E N T A L R E P O R TP A R T N E R S A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T

VMM VERIFIES AIR QUALITY

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 ultra fine 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-

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.

AIR EMISSIONS

MEASURING POINT

KAMPENHOUT

MEASURING POINT

STEENOKKERZEEL

MEASURING POINT

DIEGEM

MEASURING POINT

EVERE

4 0


NMBS TRANSPORTING MORE PEOPLE TO THE AIRPORT

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.

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

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.

25% OF THE AIRPORT PASSENGERS

MADE USE OF THE TRAIN IN

NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.

MOBILITY

ENERGY

4 1


DHL ENCOURAGES CARPOOLING

In 2016, express courier company DHL conducted a large-scale mobility survey and concluded that greater emphasis should be placed on carpooling. The company is now working with carpool.be to make car-sharing easier and more accessible. Car-pooling via carpool.be isn’t limited to DHL and other companies: anyone can use the tool to find carpool partners! In the mean-time, 81 of DHL’s people have made use of the website in order to find carpool partners within their company or in other companies.

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE INITIATES SOIL REMEDIATION PROJECT

The Ministry of Defence’s 15th Air Transport Wing has its airport close to Brussels Airport. In 2016 it initiated the soil remediation of a few polluted zones.

EMIRATES TURNS BOTTLES INTO BLANKETS

Since January 2017, Emirates airline has been using ecological blankets made 100% of recycled plastic bottles in Economy class. This sustainable in-flight project is the largest ever of its kind in the aviation industry. Recycled bottles are con-verted into chips and processed into threads which are then used to make fleece fabric.

28 BOTTLES =

1 FLEECE BLANKET

28 recycled bottles are required for a sin-gle blanket. By the end of 2019, Emirates will have processed 88 million bottles into blankets, i.e. the weight of 44 A380 air-planes.

MOBILITY

WASTE

SOIL

The DHL management sets the right example.

4 2


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. And for each customer who participates in its annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, Aviapartner plants a tree; in this way, 173 trees were planted in 2016.

QATAR AIRWAYS: THE QUIETEST AIRLINE

173 IN 2016 AVIAPARTNER

PLANTED 173 TREES

The Brussels Airport Aviation Awards are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year. Every year, Brussels Airport presents these awards, to the airlines and its partners that have distinguished them-selves in the past year in terms of network develop-ment and new routes, the en-vironment, safety, perfor-mance and punctuality.

The Environment and Safety Awards are presented to air-port companies that made a special contribution to the pro-tection of the environment, to the permanent improvement of safety standards or to sen-sitization in this area. In 2017 the Environment Award went to Qatar Airways, the Qatari national airline, whose fleet has an especially small noise footprint. When granting this award, Brussels Airport weighs

the noise certification values of the ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization) as a function of the weight of

the aircraft, the number of engines and the number of take-offs made by the air-line at Brussels Airport.

Qatar Airways, a young air-line eager to reduce its eco-logical footprint, boasts an ultramodern fleet composed of Boeing 787s or Dream- liners to serve Brussels Airport … which enabled it to secure first place, ahead of All Nippon Airways.

Thanks to its classification in pole position for passen-ger transport and its 3rd place for freight, Qatar

Airways deserves to be regarded as the quietest airline at Brussels Airport in 2016.

NOISE

Sebastiaan Wijenberg, Manager Cargo The Netherlands & Belgium (Qatar Airways) receives the award from Lode Ketele,

Director Compliance & Operations Continuity (Brussels Airport).

4 3


• 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 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.

Marylin Bastin

Belgocontrol

4 4


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

B E L G O C O N T R O L

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.

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

4 5


consumptions. It’s all a question of compromise. Where should the priority be placed? On noise pollution or on CO2 emissions? Belgocontrol can’t make these decisions alone. Whence the interest of the Collaborative Envi-ronmental Management (CEM)1 wor-king groups.”

HOW IS BRUSSELS AIRPORT PUTTING THIS COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMEN-TAL MANAGEMENT INTO PLACE?

“The implementation plan of the Single European Sky initiative requires that each airport operates according to the principle of Collaborative Envi-ronmental Management (CEM). With quarterly bilateral meetings between 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-dure at Brussels Airport, combining their data relating to noise measure-

CONTINUOUS DESCENT OPERATIONSBenefits of CDO landings compared to conventional procedures:

-50 KG -100 KG

-157 KG -314 KG

-2 DB -3 DB

Fuel

Emissions

Noise

A320(NARROW-BODY)

A330(WIDE-BODY)

Source: https://www.belgocontrol.be/environment-co2-emissions

4 6


ments and our operational analysis. In 2017, this will be formalised by inclu-ding the airlines as well. Defining the projects and priorities together greatly facilitates their implementation. The idea behind CEM is that the entire air-port community together determines what it proposes to do to reduce the impact while also considering safety and capacity aspects as well as econo-mic interests.”

WHAT CONCRETE ACTIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED THANKS TO THE CEM?

“In 2011, for the CDO3 (Continuous Descent Operations), we already put CEM into practice by bringing together Brussels Airport, Brussels Airlines and Belgocontrol. The environment carries more and more weight; it is now al-most as important as safety – which of course always takes first place, ob-viously. The approach controllers in-struct the pilots to carry out CDO’s

within the limits imposed by safety. During full traffic peak that isn’t pos-sible because, without engine power, the airplane takes longer to descend. The key to a successful continuous descent: communicating to the pilot the precise distance that he still has to go. His descent will be optimised if he doesn’t have to level off repeatedly or increase power... In 2015, the CDO applied for all runways.”

SINCE THEN, HAVE OTHER STUDIES BEEN DONE ON THE CDOs?

“In 2016, an aeronautical engineering student at the ULB devoted his thesis to improving the CDOs in Brussels. With the aid of Brussels Airport, he questioned 160 pilots representing a majority of the airlines and our 42 air traffic controllers specialised in the Brussels approach. This thesis made it possible to highlight everything that does not facilitate the CDO (technical or security constraints, operational as-

pects, phraseology not understood by the pilot, lack of training, etc.). His thesis demonstrated that the method for calculating CDOs was outdated. Currently, the measured CDOs only take account of the number of explicit CDOs given by the air traffic control-lers. On average that represents only 10 to 15% of the flights. In fact, planes have a natural tendency to make CDOs, even without having received the instruction. 50% of the planes descend without a stair-step ap-proach, because that allows them to save litres of fuel. Consequently, it is the number of CDOs actually carried out that must be measured.”

WHAT OTHER INITIATIVES DO YOU HOPE TO SEE ACCOMPLISHED THANKS TO COLLABORATIVE ENVI-RONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ?

“During our CEM meetings, we look to-gether for ways to improve the CDOs. 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 planes, the air quality (fine particles and CO

2), and the optimisation of the taxiways to reduce waiting times on the ground. The environment mustn’t be seen as a constraint, but as a pro-cess to best develop the activities of an airline or an airport. Hence the im-portance of these collaborations for setting up realistic and sustainable projects.” n

AVIATION JARGON

COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (CEM)

An exchange platform in which the main operational players of an airport participate. They meet

regularly in order to better understand the challenges and constraints each one of them is facing,

to decide on realistic and sustainable actions to be introduced in order to improve environmental

performance, to work out joint proposals and set common priorities.

RNP = REQUIRED NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE

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”

4 7


Our 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

A G E N T S C H A P V O O R N A T U U R E N B O S

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.

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.”

± 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.

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.”

“

4 8


1 2 3The first step is to keep the animals away from the airport, e.g. by plant-ing bad-tasting grasses.

In the second step the animals are scared off with recorded bird distress cries.

Bird-bangers can also chase away the birds, which are only shot for real in emergency situations.

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.

4 9


BIRD CONTROL UNIT

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-corded bird sounds. Sometimes we also set off ‘bird bangers’: the bright flash of light and the loud explosion generally make them fly away.”

The Bird Control Unit also plays an im-portant role in the preventive and pro-active management of the fauna and flora on and around the airport. Jan Geeraerts: “If the birds of prey no longer find food here, they’ll stay away from the airport. And so we try, for ex-ample, to chase off rabbits and keep 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 out at the other airports in Flanders as well.”

“For us, it’s important to have a range of measures that we can apply”, says Walda Geusens. “The animals some-times get accustomed to certain ac-tions. Through ANB we have access to a whole range of alternatives, as a re-sult of which the measures retain their effectiveness.” n

EFFECTIVE BIRD RADAR

Observing and watching out for birds is one of the main tasks of the Bird

Control Unit. But visual observations have their limits. Walda Geusens: “Our

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

visual observations aren’t good enough for detecting birds at high alti-

tudes.” Brussels Airport is therefore studying the installation of a bird de-

tection radar. A test was conducted at the airport in August 2016. “Such a

radar system can make observations day and night, that’s already a big ad-

vantage. Moreover, it also delivers additional data, including about flight

patterns. That can help us to, for example, identify places of attraction such

as nesting and feeding sites.” Brussels Airport is continuing to study the

possibilities for a long-term project with the bird detection radar.

UNDER STUDY

BAD-TASTING GRASSES

Brussels Airport is constantly reviewing new developments that can help

optimise the habitat management on the airport grounds. For example, the

use of endophytic grass varieties is being studied in collaboration with the

University of Ghent. These grass varieties contain a particular type of fun-

gus in the roots that causes them to taste bad to animals that feed on

them. “Along with rabbits, mice are a major source of food for the birds of

prey around the airport”, explains Walda Geusens of Brussels Airport

Company. “If we can reduce the mice and rabbit population, the airport will

become a less attractive habitat for these birds. Mice and rabbits don’t like

endophytic grass varieties, so we’re looking at whether we can grow pre-

cisely these varieties on the airport grounds.”

A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF A SUPER COLLABORATION

5 0


Z A V E N T E M , F L E M I S H B R A B A N T A N D A N B

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’.

5 1


The 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

blessed with a surfeit of green zones”, environmental official Guido Declercq explains. “So if a good proposal comes along to expand an existing woods and organise it in a child-friendly manner, we’re the first to get on board.” Mayor Ingrid Holemans nods in agreement. “It’s an ideal opportunity for children and adults to discover and enjoy a re-maining bit of green on the fringe of the metropolitan area. Moreover, this recreational woods is really a textbook example of a super-collaboration. We’ll do everything necessary to make this project a success.” The province of Flemish Brabant, owner of two other 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.

The recreational area

already offers a

walking circuit, a

biking track, a picnic

space, a dog meadow

and a few pieces of

playground equipment.

caroline BossuYt, environment manager, Brussels airport companY

413 hectares OF AIRSIDE GRASSLAND

102 hectares OF LANDSIDE GRASSLAND

OF WHICH 10 HECTARES COVERED

WITH SHRUBS AND CONIFERS.

515 hectaresARE OPEN LAND

9 hectares ARE CATALOGUED AS FOREST AND MANAGED

IN A FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN

9 hectaresTHE TOTAL SURFACE AREA FOR

WHICH AN ACCESSIBILITY

REGULATION HAS BEEN DRAWN

UP AMOUNTS TO 9 HECTARES,

INCLUDING 2 HECTARES OF

RECREATIONAL WOODS

THE AIRPORT’S GREEN SPACES

5 2


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

› 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

They helped make the ‘Speelbos’ possible

5 3


T E C 4 J E T S A N D T U I G R O U P

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 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.

Tec4Jets and TUI Group

5 4


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 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

WHY IS THE DREAMLINER THE MOST RECENT AND BIGGEST INNOVATION?

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

LIGHTER THE USE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS SUCH AS

CARBON FIBRE ELIMINATES A SUBSTANTIAL

AMOUNT OF WEIGHT, AND LEADS TO FUEL

SAVINGS OF NO LESS THAN 20%.

MAINTENANCE EASY TO MAINTAIN DUE TO SIMPLIFIED SYSTEMS –

JUST THINK OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS.

60% QUIETER SMALLER NOISE FOOTPRINT –

60% LESS NOISE THAN ITS PREDECESSOR.

MORE ECONOMICALNEW TYPE OF UPRIGHT WING

EXTENSION (WINGLETS) THAT

REDUCES AIR RESISTANCE, LEADING

TO A FUEL SAVING OF 1.5%.

One of the most important innovations of the Dreamliner are its curved fan blades.

5 5


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.

TCR

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

5 6


TCR 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

T C R

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.

soil, there was also Green GSE (Ground Support Equipment).”

CO2 EMISSION TOOL

Gerd Van Damme, Asset Director: “You always have to see something like Green GSE in the proper context. We have an impact on the equipment that we lease out and on the way it’s main-tained – but not on the actual use. Here at Brussels Airport our electric 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,

I would estimate

that we have an

electric solution

for eighty percent

of the cases.pieter Beliën, general manager, tcr

5 7


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

As a major player,

we can exercise

a positive impact.gerd van damme, asset director, tcr

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

150 MILLION EUROS TURNOVER

780+FULL-TIME JOBS

24 000 FLEET UNITS

600+MILLION EUROS FLEET VALUE

TCR WORLDWIDE, IN FIGURES

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

The electric baggage belt loaders run on green electricity.

5 8



2 0 1 6






1930 ZAVENTEM

RESPONSIBLE EDITOR:

NATHALIE VAN IMPE



OR REMARKS:

[email protected]

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000

02010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

3,0

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

02010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY


NOISE


-31% FLIGHTS

200

0

2016

21 600 000

21 818 418

326 000

224 000

2 828MWh

808FAMILIES


MOBILITY

SOIL

+1% PASSENGERS

WATER





IS POLLUTED TO

A LIMITED DEGREE,

NO CLEAN-UP

IS REQUIRED.

IS CLEAN

IS POLLUTED,

FURTHER APPROACH

IS REQUIRED.

94,8%

1,2% 4,0%

65 000TRAVELLERS

20 000EMPLOYEES

20 000CARS

200TRAINS

1 000BUSES

500TRUCKS


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

35 000

30 000

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0


=3%

11%COMPARED

TO 2010


NIGHT MOVEMENTS**



AIR EMISSIONS



TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

16 3452016

TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

22 6682010

WASTE





2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

SAVING OF


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

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

DATA NOT AVAILABLE*




1930 ZAVENTEM

RESPONSIBLE EDITOR:

NATHALIE VAN IMPE



OR REMARKS:

[email protected]

300 000

250 000

200 000

150 000

100 000

50 000

02010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3 000

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

3,0

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

02010** 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

ENERGY


NOISE


-31% FLIGHTS

200

0

2016

21 600 000

21 818 418

326 000

224 000

2 828MWh

808FAMILIES


MOBILITY

SOIL

+1% PASSENGERS

WATER





IS POLLUTED TO

A LIMITED DEGREE,

NO CLEAN-UP

IS REQUIRED.

IS CLEAN

IS POLLUTED,

FURTHER APPROACH

IS REQUIRED.

94,8%

1,2% 4,0%

65 000TRAVELLERS

20 000EMPLOYEES

20 000CARS

200TRAINS

1 000BUSES

500TRUCKS


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

35 000

30 000

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0


=3%

11%COMPARED

TO 2010


NIGHT MOVEMENTS**



AIR EMISSIONS



TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

16 3452016

TONNES OF ACTUAL

CO2 EMISSIONS

22 6682010

WASTE





2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

SAVING OF


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

26 000

24 000

22 000

20 000

18 000

16 000

14 000

12 000

10 000

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

DATA NOT AVAILABLE*


2 0 1 6



Documents

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2017...*** Calculation performed with a diff erent version of the INM computing model. IS POLLUTED TO A LIMITED DEGREE, NO CLEAN-UP IS REQUIRED. IS CLEAN IS POLLUTED,