Makeover for information website for local residents of Brussels Airport

skeyes and Brussels Airport have developed a new version of the BATC.be information website: as of now, visitors will find a wide range of additional functionalities as well as useful information about runway use, weather observations and forecasts, radar tracks, noise measurements and many statistics.

Under the name of Brussels Airport Traffic Control (BATC), skeyes and Brussels Airport Company have been informing the general public since early 2015 about the runways in use at the airport. Both companies have commonly developed a new version of the website. From now on, BATC.be presents many new features and additional information.

Meteorological data and statistics

A weather section has been added to the website, allowing visitors to consult weather observations and forecasts related to the airport and its runways in real time on BATC.be at any given time. For aviation safety reasons, wind (direction and speed) is one of the determining factors in the complex runway selection process. 

Statistics are the other major new feature of the website. They are presented in a simple and clear manner. No need to download technical reports anymore to learn more about airport movements, runways in use, noise contours and "green landings": all these figures can be displayed in different forms with just a few mouse-clicks. Radar tracks showing aircraft flight paths are available much more quickly, after a technical delay of only 15 minutes instead of 60 minutes, as was the case with the old version of the site.

The new website’s homepage displays the main BATC information at a glance: an overview of the runways currently in use at Brussels Airport as well as a forecast of the most likely configuration for the coming hours. In addition, BATC.be provides didactic information on the airport, its infrastructure, the different actors, the runway selection process, the influence of the weather as well as a glossary.

A pioneer in Europe

Boasting all these new features, BATC.be proves to be one of the European airport websites that puts the most operational data at the disposal of the general public with regard to runway selection, radar tracks, noise contours and especially regarding weather observations and forecasts.

Researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) have benchmarked information websites from more than 80 airports and air navigation service providers around the world. They have also consulted representatives of Brussels Airport's local residents' committees. skeyes and Brussels Airport Company were guided by their work to develop the new version of the BATC.be website.

Johan Decuyper, skeyes CEO: “By putting its operational data at the disposal of the general public, skeyes demonstrates its commitment to transparency. Our company is aware of its societal role and wants to provide all the information necessary for a better understanding of our activities. With this renewed website we will even become one of the pioneers in Europe in some areas. Runway selection is a complex operation that depends on many factors. The top priority of skeyes and our air traffic controllers is to ensure the safety of air traffic.”

Arnaud Feist, Brussels Airport Company CEO: “The need to access verified and certified information, combined with the growing interest in Brussels Airport and its activities, confirm the importance of providing the general public with readily available and clear information. With the revamped batc.be website, we offer all interested parties and our local residents even more relevant and easily accessible data in just a few clicks."