ENAIRE implements a new multilateration surveillance system at the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport

ENAIRE, the Spanish air navigation manager, has placed a state-of-the-art multilateration surveillance system in service at the airport of Málaga-Costa del Sol, which can be used to display air traffic at the airport and in its approach and departure routes.

For each aircraft within its coverage area, multilateration provides information on its position, identification and flight level

The new system, installed at the airport and in surrounding locations, provides service to air traffic controllers in the control tower at the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport. ENAIRE invested 997,228 euros in the new system as part of its Technology Modernisation Plan.

This type of surveillance system is used to track and monitor air traffic, as it provides information on each aircraft's position, identification and flight level, making it easy to locate and identify all the traffic operating within its coverage area. Multilateration complements the surveillance systems already installed at this airport.

This new facility boosts ENAIRE's international status as an air navigation operator in the surveillance field, in line with European requirements to progressively implement new technologies that improve European air traffic management.

Multilateration systems

In addition to radar, ENAIRE uses other surveillance systems in some airports to determine the position of aircraft, such as multilateration systems.

A multilateration system consists of a set of antennas located throughout the airfield, along with information processing units. It works from radio signals emitted by aircraft and received by the aforementioned array of system antennas, which triangulate to determine the aircraft's position with high precision. This triangulation is performed by observing the difference in the time it takes for the signal emitted by the aircarft to reach the main servers and the signal received by each of the antennas. 

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the company belonging to the Public Works Department that provides air navigation services 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 addition, ENAIRE provides communications, navigation and surveillance services to 45 air control towers.

In 2018 ENAIRE handled 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 navigation service provider, 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 Organization).