Air traffic gradually recovers in the Balearic Islands as traffic management measures put in place to guarantee safety

Air traffic management in the area of the Balearic Islands is recovering gradually, although it is still conditioned by the traffic management measures needed to ensure the safety of all operations.

Air mobility and the approaches to the airports of Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Menorca are recovering on a day with continued instability and significant delays

After two very difficult days, during which adverse weather as a result of a cutoff low greatly hampered air mobility in the Mediterranean Arc, and particularly in the Balearic Islands, route traffic and approach manoeuvres to the airports of Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca are returning to normal.

However, throughout the morning, weather instability forced the adoption of rules that, while not as severe as those taken last Thursday, have caused significant delays with flights to/from the three Balearic airports.

In situations of high air traffic volume and very adverse weather - in this case, as a result of the cutoff low that has affected us since 13 August, and which was very active today in the Balearic Islands area - the airspace available for air navigation is significantly reduced, which requires the application of traffic management measures, as well as rules during landing and take-off manoeuvres, to ensure that flights are controlled safely.

These measures, which may even involve a RATE 0 declaration for a certain period of time and having aircraft enter holding patterns to avoid congestion, are coordinated by ENAIRE with the affected airports and with the network manager, EUROCONTROL, taking into account AEMET weather reports.

The main goal is always to ensure that the number of aircraft in the air is adequate so they can be controlled in compliance with established safety parameters.

“Safety is a priority"

In this regard, the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and President of ENAIRE, José Antonio Santano, explained on Thursday 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”.

The Secretary of State and president of ENAIRE was in permanent contact with top-level officials of the Balearic government to ensure institutional collaboration and offer them the resources we can offer to minimise the effects of this weather crisis”.

As for the measures taken by ENAIRE to manage air traffic during this adverse weather event, the number of air traffic controllers assigned to the shifts has been reinforced; there have been periodic ad hoc meetings with AEMET to ensure the best possible weather forecasts before the implementation of traffic regulation measures; we have established pre-tactical coordination with collateral service providers and EUROCONTROL to agree on the best measures to apply to minimise the effect of the delays on airlines; and we have continued to follow and monitor non-stop the progress of the operations and the application of traffic regulation measures, prioritising safety at all times.

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.