Brussels Airport, as leader of the iAOP (initial Airport Operations Plan) project and on behalf of the other participants in this initiative, was presented with the Single European Sky (SES) Award in the Corporation category at the World ATM Congress in Madrid. The AOP sets out to further optimise the planning of airport processes on the basis of real-time data, ultimately enhancing the passenger experience, while maintaining operational safety.
The Airport Operations Plan (AOP) devised by Brussels Airport aims to extensively streamline all the processes within the airport, from check-in to boarding. By optimising and coordinating the Passenger, Baggage, Aircraft and Accessibility flows, the journey to the airport as well as the various stages at the airport become much smoother for passengers. Thanks to innovative technologies combining historical and real time data, Brussels Airport can anticipate future issues which may cause inconvenience to its passengers, resulting in a more pleasant experience for them in a safe and secure environment. For example, instead of taking action once long queues have formed at passenger screening or passport control, it is now possible to predict this situation in advance and prevent it from occurring. More accurate data will be shared with Eurocontrol and other European airports, optimising the use of European airspace.
The Airport Operations Plan (AOP) is a concept that has been defined by SESAR Joint Undertaking, a European Commission working group that is responsible for optimising European airspace. Subsidies are granted in order to support airports and air navigation service providers (ANSP) in the implementation of initiatives to improve European air navigation. In 2017, Brussels Airport Company partnered with 11 other airports and 2 ANSPs to develop an AOP at each airport in a harmonised way. The participants are Aéroports de la Côte d‘Azur, Aéroports de Paris, Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A., Brussels Airport Company NV /SA, Copenhagen Airport A/S, DAA plc (Dublin Airport), ENAV S.p.A, Flughafen München GmbH, Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, Manchester Airport PLC, Società per Azioni Esercizi Aeroportuali – SEA (Milan Airports), Skeyes, STAL – London Stansted Limited, Swedavia AB.