Cost-efficiency - Belgium

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Terminal charging zone

Unit cost (KPI#1)

Actual and determined data
Total costs - nominal (M€) 2020-2021 2022 2023 2024
Actual costs 67 37 NA NA
Determined costs 70 38 42 44
Difference costs -2 -1 NA NA
Inflation assumptions 2020-2021 2022 2023 2024
Determined inflation rate NA 7.8% 4.7% 2.1%
Determined inflation index NA 115.6 123.9 126.5
Actual inflation rate NA 10.3% NA NA
Actual inflation index NA 118.3 NA NA
Difference inflation index (p.p.) NA +2.7 NA NA

AUC vs. DUC

In 2022, the terminal AUC was -3.6% (or -9.01 €2017) lower than the planned DUC. This results from the combination of lower than planned terminal costs in real terms (-4.6%, or -1.6 M€2017) and lower than planned TNSUs (-1.1%). It should be noted that actual inflation index in 2022 was +2.7 p.p. higher than planned.

Terminal service units

The difference between actual and planned TNSUs (-1.1%) falls inside the ±2% dead band. Hence loss of terminal revenues is borne by the ANSPs.

Terminal costs by entity

Actual real terminal costs are -4.6% (-1.6 M€2017) lower than planned. This is the result of lower costs for the main ANSP, skeyes (-4.7%, or -1.5 M€2017) and the NSA (-2.8%, or 0.02 M€2017).

Terminal costs for the main ANSP at charging zone level

Lower than planned terminal costs in real terms for skeyes in 2022 (-4.7%, or -1.5 M€2017) result from:
- Lower staff costs (-3.2%), mainly due to the inflation index impact (+2.7 p.p., -1.0% difference in nominal terms). The impact of the automatic inflation indexation on salaries was compensated by lower training costs than planned for the EBBR Tower;
- Significantly lower other operating costs (-10.8%), due to delay of certain projects, which has negatively impacted the involvement of external support and license costs.
- Slightly higher depreciation (+1.7%),
- Significantly lower cost of capital (-25.9%), mainly due to a lower fixed asset base.

Actual unit cost incurred by the users (AUCU) (PI#1)

AUCU components (€/SU) – 2022
Components of the AUCU in 2022 €/SU
DUC 287.34
Inflation adjustment 6.10
Cost exempt from cost-sharing -0.42
Traffic risk sharing adjustment 0.00
Traffic adj. (costs not TRS) 0.23
Finantial incentives 0.00
Modulation of charges 12.23
Cross-financing 0.00
Other revenues -69.19
Application of lower unit rate 0.00
Total adjustments -51.04
AUCU 236.30
AUCU vs. DUC -17.8%
Cost exempt from cost sharing by item - 2022 €'000 €/SU
New and existing investments -37.3 -0.28
Competent authorities and qualified entities costs -18.3 -0.14
Eurocontrol costs 0.0 0.00
Pension costs 0.0 0.00
Interest on loans 0.0 0.00
Changes in law 0.0 0.00
Total cost exempt from cost risk sharing -55.5 -0.42

The actual terminal unit cost incurred by airspace users (AUCU) in respect of activities performed in 2022 (236.58 €) is -17.7% lower than the nominal DUC (287.34 €). The difference between these two figures (-50.76 €/SU) is due to:
- the positive inflation adjustment resulting from higher than planned inflation (+6.10 €/SU);
- the impact of adjustments resulting from the costs exempted from cost-sharing mechanism (-0.14 €/SU);
- the addition of the traffic adjustment (+0.23 €/SU) for the costs not subject to traffic risk sharing;
- the modulation of charges (+12.23 €/SU); and
- the deduction of the other revenues (-69.19 €/SU).
The share of the regulatory result in the AUCU (before the deduction of other revenues) is 4.5%.

Regulatory result (RR)

skeyes net gain on activity in the Belgium terminal charging zone in the year 2022

skeyes reported a net gain of +1.4 M€, as a combination of a gain of +1.8 M€ arising from the cost sharing mechanism, with a loss of -0.4 M€ arising from the traffic risk sharing mechanism.

skeyes overall regulatory results (RR) for the Belgium terminal charging zone activity

Ex-post, the overall RR taking into account the net gain from the terminal activity mentioned above (+1.4 M€) and the actual RoE (+0.4 M€) amounts to +1.8 M€ (4.8% of the terminal revenues). The resulting ex-post rate of return on equity is 11.2%, which is higher than the 2.5% planned in the PP.