IVAO Belgium

Brussels Area Control handles all the traffic in the Belgium FIR if it is not controlled by another ATC unit. He will  prepare the inbound sequence for the airfields in the Belgium FIR, as well as control climbing and descending traffic outbound and inbound, en-route traffic and separate them all, while they are entering or exiting the FIR and in between.

Overflights

The main job is to separate the aircraft and let them proceed on their flight plan route at cruising level, as far as possible and unless they have to descent into an adjacent FIR. Examples are inbound to  EHAM, EGLL, EDDF. Here the agreed altitudes are included in the Letters of Agreement (LoA) with these adjacent control units.

When traffic permits, clear aircraft to a further way-point in the FIR (review the FPL first), for instance by saying:

Transfer of communication (hand-off) will be the latest 1 minute or 10 nm before leaving the sector. At that time the aircraft has to be well separated from other traffic around and has to be at the correct (LoA) level.

Departures

Area Control will receive all aircraft coming from Brussels Approach/Departure.
He will make sure traffic continues the SID and its flight plan, unless otherwise coordinated. He will further clear the aircraft to any intermediate level as necessary and later-on to its cruising level.

If traffic/airspace permits, ATC may give aircraft a short-cut. Like on the COA4C SID, ATC can clear aircraft direct COSTA before they reach NIK.

Area Control also controls traffic in the Belgian FIR where no other ATC is available, except in Class G airspace(= uncontrolled, outside TMA, CTR and CTA's).

Arrivals

This is a though task.
The main goal is to get all arriving traffic in one line to a specific point to hand-off to Brussels Approach. Of course, Area Control also prepare and handles the arrivals of other airports like EBOS, ELLX, EBLG, ... when no ATC is online at those airports.

Speed

There is a speed limit of 250 kts IAS after passing the speed limit points (SPL) along the standard arrival routes and below FL100 inside the Radar Vectoring Area 30 NM BUB. Pilots are expected to reduce speed to 250 knots IAS or any other assigned speed timely, unless the controller says “No (ATC) speed restrictions”. Unless you have passed the outer marker on the ILS, do not reduce speed without advising the controller!
Furthermore ATC could use speed differences for separation purpose. The first aircraft a bit faster than the second to gain distance or to separate them properly.

Holdings

Please refer to the STAR chart for published holding information. Brussels Control "owns" the holdings, aircraft should only be hand-off to Approach after it has left the holding.
Holdings to be used: ANT VOR (Antwerp), FLO VOR (Flora), KERKY, GSY VOR (Gosly) (off-load holding used at ATC discretion).

Phraseology example

Arrival coming from London.

After KOK

At or shortly after KERKY

This hand-off can be given as soon as Brussels Control doesn't need the aircraft any more  around KERKY. If the ATC has several aircraft coming from NIK, ARVOL-RODRI and KERKY at the same time, he needs to separate them first and get them sequenced (in one line) to BUN before handing over to APP.

Update:  28/12/2010