The restoration of the service that telecommunications operators provide to ENAIRE enables the return to normal air traffic operations

The gradual restoration of service by telecommunications operators, which supply the aeronautical communication nodes for voice and radar data transmission across ENAIRE’s network, has made it possible to fully recover normal air traffic operations—at 100% capacity—at the three en-route control centres affected by yesterday’s power outage: Madrid, Barcelona and Seville.

Air traffic regulations and other flow management measures were implemented in coordination with EUROCONTROL, and in collaboration with AENA and the airlines   

ENAIRE’s contingency system for power failures, along with the preventive measures implemented to offset the loss of supply from external telecommunications providers, ensured the continuity of air mobility in Spain throughout the electrical crisis, despite the significant operational impact of Monday’s outage in Spain, Portugal and parts of France.

The large-scale power outage that occurred at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, 28 April, had a significant impact throughout the day in the Central-Northern, Southern, and Eastern regions, though it did not affect the Balearic or Canary Islands. Following the blackout, the national air navigation service provider activated its Crisis Committee and relied on its contingency infrastructure and crisis procedures to maintain operations.

Regarding the power supply, the affected air traffic control centres ensured the continuity of scheduled operations by relying on redundant power systems through backup generators designed for such incidents. Notably, ENAIRE’s generators have an autonomy of up to four days—enough time to ensure a continuous supply of fuel and enable indefinite operation if necessary.

Voice and data provision

The communication links between ENAIRE’s radars and radio transmitters and its control centres—provided by telecommunications operators Telefónica and Evolutio—were affected by the power outage. As a result, the availability of voice and data services, which support aeronautical communications between controllers and pilots, was impacted during the crisis, particularly throughout the afternoon and in certain sectors of the en-route airspace managed by the control centres. To mitigate this situation, ENAIRE implemented various traffic flow management measures, limiting capacity while prioritising the safety of operations at all times.

The real-time monitoring of incidents caused by the power supply failure, carried out by ENAIRE’s Crisis Committee, was key to implementing—together with EUROCONTROL, Aena, and the airlines—the measures needed to ensure the continuity of air traffic with a minimal impact in terms of delays.

The temporary and preventive reduction of capacity in en-route sectors, through precautionary restrictions, enabled the safe flow of air traffic. The provision of data, voice and radar information services by telecommunications operators is essential to air navigation, which justifies the necessity of the measures taken.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility, it provides air traffic control services during the en route and approach phases of all flights to and from Spain and overflights. In addition, it manages communications, navigation and surveillance services from ENAIRE in the airspace and the entire AENA airport network in Spain and provides aerodrome air traffic control services in 21 airports, including the busiest.

ENAIRE is the fourth largest European air navigation service provider, and it is a member of international partnerships A6 Alliance, SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and collaborates closely with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).

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.