ENAIRE promotes its Summer 2023 Plan in anticipation of another record summer flying season

ENAIRE management presented to its Governing Board an action plan for the 2023 summer season, which is expected to see all-time record air traffic. This plan includes technical measures, new operational functionalities, airspace restructuring and reinforced controller, technical and service staffing, as well as consolidated flow control tools.

In terms of measures to increase the number of controllers, ENAIRE has continued to support the training and qualification of new professionals for the summer season, with 80 more air traffic controllers available than in the peak month of August 2019, before the pandemic in what was a record year until then for air traffic.

The Plan includes new technological features, airspace initiatives and reinforced staffing

The technical and operational measures include redesigns and new operational improvements to the approach and terminal area procedures for the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat and Tenerife Sur airports for their peak winter season of 2023, together with improved airspace sectorisation in the Balearic Islands and Barcelona control centres, with the staffing of additional airspace sectors, which will improve the quality of service in terms of reducing delays. These measures will allow for greater efficiency, along with safety and sustainability improvements.

The new technological functionalities include improved security networks, better management tools for departure and arrival sequences, the gradual rollout of new operational functionalities with no paper strips and digital data links in the airport network, new en-route planning and risk management tools, the implementation of the new air traffic control position (iFOCUCS), and the continued deployment of the IP-COMETA Voice Communications System.

ENAIRE is also cementing the use of new flow control and management measures in order to handle more flights for a given capacity.

In coordination with EUROCONTROL

In addition, ENAIRE will take measures on an international level in coordination with the European Network Manager. ENAIRE leads the European Operations Group (NDOP), reinforcing its presence in the Network Manager. Spain, through ENAIRE, plays a key role in managing the European network, as acknowledged by the Director of Network Management at EUROCONTROL, Iacopo Prissinotti, in a letter to ENAIRE's CEO, Ángel Luis Arias.

Similarly, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that ENAIRE manages a large amount of traffic in relation to its capacity, with “excellent service”, in the words of the Head of Air Traffic Management (ATM) Infrastructure, Rory Sergison.

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 and participates in 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, as the agency appointed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to implement the U-space system in Spain, will be the provider of the Common Information Services (CIS), which are essential for administering U-space services to drones and Urban Air Mobility, in interaction with local air traffic control services, so that all types of aircraft can fly safely in the same airspace.

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.