ENAIRE reviews best practices in operational safety in Barcelona, alongside pilots and air traffic controllers

ENAIRE, the state air navigation manager, with the participation of EUROCONTROL, held the 14th edition of the Safety Workshop yesterday and today at ENAIRE’s Air Traffic Control Centre in Barcelona. This event is a key gathering for exchanging experiences and best practices in operational safety in air traffic management.

These workshops foster collaborative learning among air traffic controllers, pilots, and aviation authorities to continue advancing towards safer and more efficient aviation

Over the two-day event, on 12 and 13 November, experts from ENAIRE, EUROCONTROL, and representatives from the aviation sector met to analyse the main challenges and lessons in safety arising from daily air traffic control in Spain.

The workshop was opened on Wednesday by Carlos García Barrio, Head of the Safety Department for ENAIRE’s Eastern Region, and David Oliveros Gómez, Head of the Safety Promotion and Culture Department at ENAIRE, who emphasised the importance of these workshops in strengthening the safety culture at all levels of aviation.

Exchange of experiences and operational analysis

On the first day of the event, reviews, data, indicators, and operational safety trends for 2024 and 2025 were presented. The Official College of Pilots (COPAC) and the Professional Association of Air Traffic Controllers (APROCTA) took part, presenting the joint work carried out within the framework of the “Observatory for the Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability of Air Operations”. These institutions, together with ENAIRE, gather data and experiences that allow stakeholders to learn from daily operations, thus improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

In the afternoon session, ENAIRE’s regional safety managers presented practical cases of operational analysis in different regions: operations on opposite runway thresholds (Canary Islands), time and safety management (Balearic Islands), approach procedures in Madrid in southern configuration (Central-North), and the air traffic controller’s perspective (Southern Region).

The programme concluded with an overview of the operational environment in the Eastern Region, presented by ENAIRE’s Air Traffic Management Division team, followed by a technical visit to the operations room at ENAIRE’s Air Traffic Control Centre in Barcelona.

[The International Operational Safety Day was held in Barcelona].

Participation and open discussions

The second day, Thursday, focused on operational safety management in the Eastern Region, with the participation of Xavier de Martí, Head of the Air Traffic Management Division for ENAIRE’s Eastern Region, who explained management procedures in cases of severe adverse weather and their impact on air operations.

In addition, ENAIRE’s Eastern Region Director, Inma Prieto, emphasised the importance of “teamwork between air traffic controllers and pilots” during her remarks at this 14th Safety Workshop.

The interactive format of the second day included two panels under the title “Ever wonder why…?”, where real operational situations were discussed, such as communications during landing, required separations during take-off and approach, and weather-related deviations, with the aim of fostering operational empathy and collaborative learning between controllers and pilots.

[David Oliveros, head of Culture and Safety Promotion at ENAIRE, at the 14th edition of the Safety Workshop].

Shared safety culture

This Safety Workshop provides an essential forum for exchange between air traffic controllers, pilots, and safety experts, strengthening cooperation in the continuous improvement of operational procedures, risk management, and incident prevention.

With this 14th edition, ENAIRE reaffirms its commitment to increasingly safe, efficient, and human-centred aviation, promoting an open and collaborative safety culture, in keeping with the best international practices promoted by EUROCONTROL.

This initiative is part of ENAIRE’s Strategic Plan (the Flight Plan), which establishes safety, service quality, efficiency, and sustainability as essential pillars in air traffic management. ENAIRE is also the air navigation service provider with the highest rating on the key maturity indicator of the safety management system at the European level for the fifth consecutive year.

[Inma Prieto, director of the Eastern Region].

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 five 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.