SKIES begins tests of digital traffic control • Pilot and aircraft

STEENOKKERZEEL – Belgian air traffic control organization SKIES put the Saab digital tower test center in Steenokkerzeel into use on Thursday (May 30).

The center serves as a prototype for the digital control center currently being built by skeyes and SOWAER (Société Wallonne des Aéroports) in Namur. The testing center is almost identical to the one currently being built in Namur.

Through masts equipped with high-quality cameras, infrared systems and smart sensors at the respective airports, air traffic controllers receive the image displayed in real time on large screens at air traffic control centers. The screens show their airport skyline in a full 360 degrees.

The Advanced Surface Motion Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) also displays the precise location of aircraft at the airport, even when they are hidden from the naked eye of air traffic controllers due to unfavorable weather conditions. Using augmented reality, operators can view additional information about each aircraft that will help them manage traffic flows.

By 2026, air traffic at Charleroi and Liège airports, which are 100 kilometers apart, will be controlled remotely from a single digital control center in Namur. According to Skyes, incorporating modern technologies into the system will make aviation more reliable and safe.

SKIES is also setting up a digital control center in Flanders, which will eventually serve Antwerp, Ostend and Kortrijk airports.