ENAIRE recovered 86.4% of flights in March compared to the record levels of 2019

The trend continues as air traffic recovers to pre-pandemic levels. ENAIRE managed over 135,000 flights in March (135,423), which is just 13.6% below the average for the entire network for the same month in 2019, a record year for traffic before the effects of COVID took hold in 2020.

This figure means that ENAIRE, the national air navigation service provider, recovered 86.4% of flights in March compared to 2019 levels, which is 7.6 points higher that the percentage recovered in February 2022 (78.8%).

This recovery in the number of flights in Spain is 10 percentage points higher than the average recorded throughout Europe, which saw a decrease in March of 23.6% with respect to 2019.

A comparison between the flights managed by ENAIRE in March 2022 and those in the same period in 2021 shows an increase of 215.8%.

Domestic flights in March 2022 (31,316) exhibited the best trend, with a drop of 11.2% with respect to the same month in 2019, equivalent to recovering 88.8% of the flights compared to the same month in that year. International flights (73,134) went down by 14.9% compared to 2019, and overflights (those that do not depart from or land at a Spanish airport) fell by 12.9% to 30,973.

There was a notable increase in the number of flights managed by the Palma control centre, 2.6% more than in March 2019 with 14,994 flights. In Seville, it went down by 3.0%; in the Canary Islands, 9.0%; in Madrid, 13.2%; and in Barcelona, 14.0%. 

Forecasts for Holy Week by control centre

From 8 to 18 April, ENAIRE is expecting to manage 71,471 flights and overflights throughout Spain. Of these, 35,356 flights will be managed by ENAIRE's Control Centre in Madrid; 20,202 flights in Barcelona; 13,816 in Seville; 11,199 in the Canary Islands and 10,683 in Palma.

The days of Holy Week with the most flights scheduled in total are 9 April with 7,037, and 16 April with 7,027.

The forecast for 9 April by centre is as follows: Madrid, 3,428 flights;  Barcelona, 1,994; Seville, 1,385; Canary Islands, 1,260; and, Palma, 1,072.

The forecast for 16 April by centre is: Madrid, 3,416; Barcelona, 2,000; Seville, 1,387; Canary Islands, 1,235; and Palma, 1,053.

Cumulative data for 2022

In the first three months of the year, ENAIRE managed 344,750 flights, 20.8% fewer than in the same period in 2019, of which 187,716 were international (-21.0%), 83,983 (-14.8%) were domestic and 73,051 (-26.4%) were overflights.

A comparison of the flights managed by ENAIRE in the first quarter with those in the same period in 2021 shows an increase of 181.0%.

2022-2023 Summer Plan

For the high air traffic seasons (summer in mainland Spain and Balearic Islands and winter in the Canary Islands) in 2022 and 2023, ENAIRE has an ambitious action plan involving technical, operational and airspace restructuring projects, its so-called "2022-2023 Summer Plan", which is based on the ENAIRE strategy defined in its 2025 Flight Plan and is part of a framework of work and collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Aena and air carriers and associations.

In light of the continuing upward trend in air traffic, the 2022-2023 Summer Plan includes the national and international technical, operational and human resources measures needed to achieve the best possible safety, efficiency, speed, service quality and sustainability rates.

This requires the implementation of unrestricted routes so that airlines can fly on optimised, phased trajectories in 2022 and 2023-2024; new tools for flow control and dynamic airspace sectors.

ENAIRE lowers its charges to help the sector

ENAIRE drastically reduced its air navigation charges in 2021 to speed the recovery of the aviation sector.

Of the 38 countries in EUROCONTROL, Spain, through ENAIRE, is the one that lowered its route charges the most in 2021, to around 8% below the average charge.

ENAIRE reduced its continental route charge in 2020 (-16.7%) and 2021 (-11%) by 26%, and in the Canary Islands (-12.5% /-8.5%, respectively) by 20%, thus helping the aviation sector to recover from the crisis brought about by the pandemic.

Moreover, until 2024, air navigation charges will remain below 2019 levels, a year in which ENAIRE was already operating with the lowest charges in the last ten years, and which were among the most competitive in Europe. As a result, the continental charges in 2022 will be 19.4% lower than in 2019, and in the Canary Islands they will be lowered by 14.4%.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 45 control towers receive ENAIRE's communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country's busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is Europe's fourth largest air traffic manager. Since 1 January 2022, it has chaired the A6 Alliance, a coalition of air navigation providers responsible for over 80% of European air traffic, and which is seeking to modernise the air traffic management system. It is also a member of other international alliances promoting the Single European sky, such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO and ICAO.

ENAIRE has received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator. It has also been awarded the EFQM 500 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.