ENAIRE puts satellite-based landing system into operation at the Lanzarote Airport

ENAIRE, the company belonging to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport that manages air navigation in Spain, has put new landing approach procedures, based on the GPS constellation and European EGNOS satellite navigation system, into operation for threshold 03 at the César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport. 
Lanzarote Airport is the first one in the Canary Islands to use the European EGNOS-based landing system

This runway threshold area already has ILS (Instrument Landing System) procedures and the EGNOS system offers an extra alternative in the event of ILS failure due to incidents or maintenance; the implementation of such alternatives helps to streamline operations for airlines and passengers.

To implement this project, a work agreement was signed between Saerco, César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport's aerodrome control service provider, and ESSP, the company providing the EGNOS system, in which ENAIRE and air navigation managers from Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Switzerland all participate.  

These new EGNOS manoeuvres, designed by ENAIRE, do not need terrestrial radio aids, so they offer an efficient cost-effective solution compared to conventional approaches based on the use of ground-based systems.

To carry out these new landings, based on the use of satellite navigation, aircraft must be properly equipped and their crew adequately trained.

In this way, ENAIRE will optimise aircraft operations and accessibility to runway threshold 03, thereby enhancing airport safety even further. This line of action shows ENAIRE's ongoing commitment to complying with the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Implementation Plan outlined in the company's strategic ''Flight Plan 2020''. 

To enable airlines to land in this way, ENAIRE drew up the safety studies required and duly approved by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA). The improved performance of the EGNOS system in the archipelago in recent months has been a key factor in successfully completing the project.

Spain already has seven airports where satellite-based landing approaches are possible

By implementing these manoeuvres in Lanzarote, Spain now has a total of seven airports with procedures based on satellite navigation: Almería, Seve Ballesteros Santander, Fuerteventura, Valencia, Palma and Málaga-Costa del Sol; the latter airport has a satellite navigation system, known as GBAS, for high-precision operations in low visibility conditions.

From May 23rd, Lanzarote includes the possibility to land using satellite navigation, including EGNOS-based manoeuvres, and has now become the fifth airport in Spain and first in the Canary Islands to use this European system, which is also present in Santander, Almeria, Valencia and Palma.

Using these advances, ENAIRE can provide the airlines that use these airports with approaches based on satellite navigation from the pre-existing entry points. This is all possible without having to set up additional land infrastructure, which represents financial savings and operational benefits as a result.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the company belonging to the Public Works Department that handles air navigation in Spain. It renders aerodrome control services at 21 airports, including the busiest in terms of air traffic, plus en-route and approach control, from five control centres: Barcelona, Madrid, Gran Canaria, Palma and Seville.

In 2018 ENAIRE operated 2.1 million flights to and from four continents (Europe, America, Asia and Africa), transporting 300 million passengers.

ENAIRE is the fourth most important European air traffic manager, and, in a clear commitment to the Single Sky initiative, belongs to international partnerships such as SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, A6, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation).