ENAIRE relies on AEMET forecasts to coordinate air traffic regulation along the Mediterranean coastline with EUROCONTROL to ensure the safety of operations

The second day of the cutoff low along the Mediterranean coast has caused severe storms and cumulonimbus clouds, which have had a significant impact on air traffic management, especially in and around the Balearic Islands throughout the day.

Route operations, as well as approaches to the airports of Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Menorca, have been affected by rules to guarantee the safety of air traffic at all times.

José Antonio Santano: “Safety is the main concern behind every decision. Criticism like Ryanair's, accusing the Ministry and ENAIRE of being overly cautious, is unacceptable because an airline's interest will never outweigh safety”

These rules regulate air flows to maintain landings and take-offs at maximum capacity based on the conditions, and do not interrupt landings or take-offs at any time.

All the rules have been activated in constant coordination with EUROCONTROL and, where applicable, with the airports concerned, based on AEMET's weather forecasts, prioritising safety while also taking into account the demands of the airlines. These rules have resulted in very significant delays.

ENAIRE's team of controllers and technical staff at the air control centres in the Balearic and Eastern regions are proving essential to help mitigate the impact of the cutoff low on air traffic, although the priority is to ensure the safety of operations.

The Secretary of State and ENAIRE's president, José Antonio Santano, has been reporting on the measures adopted during the day, and remains in constant contact with the highest levels of the Balearic government to coordinate any measures.

“Since yesterday, we have been experiencing an exceptional weather situation in the Balearic Islands, which is having a very direct effect on air navigation, along with other consequences, with cancellations and numerous delays involving all flights to and from one of the three airports, which is affecting thousands of passengers”, explained José Antonio Santano.

The Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and President of ENAIRE, noted that ensuring safety is and will remain a priority: “I want to make it very clear, as president of ENAIRE and as the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, that safety is the main concern and the driving force behind all the decisions that have been taken since yesterday. Therefore, criticism like Ryanair's, accusing the Ministry and ENAIRE of being overly cautious, is unacceptable because an airline's interest will never outweigh safety. This has been and will continue to be our benchmark". 

Santano emphasised "the good harmony and coordination with the Balearic government, to which we've offered the resources we can offer to minimise the effects of this weather crisis”. 

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility, 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, 46 airports receive communication, navigation and surveillance services from ENAIRE, which also maintains their air traffic control systems, and 21 of them, including the country's busiest airports, rely on its aerodrome air traffic 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 responsible agency identified by the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility to implement the U-Space system in Spain, will, through its digital platform, provide the Common Information Services (CIS), which are essential to facilitate U-space services to drones and Urban Air Mobility in cooperation with local air traffic 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 for four years in a row. It has also been awarded the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.