ENAIRE is the

air navigation The basic principles of air navigation are identical to general navigation, which includes the process of planning, recording, and controlling the movement of a craft from one place to another. Successful air navigation involves piloting an airc ...

manager in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, certified for the provision of enroute, approach and

aerodrome An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes inc ...

control services. As a public corporate entity attached to the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, it is responsible for

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

, aeronautical information and the

communication, navigation and surveillance Communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) are the main functions that form the infrastructure for air traffic management, and ensure that air traffic is safe and efficient. Functions The CNS has the following three main functions. Communi ...

networks so air companies and their aircraft can fly safely and in an organised format within Spanish airspace. By volume of air traffic, ENAIRE is the fourth largest

air navigation service provider An air navigation service provider (ANSP) is a public or a private legal entity providing Air Navigation Services. It manages air traffic on behalf of a company, region or country. Depending on the specific mandate, an ANSP provides one or more ...

in Europe, with approximately 2 million flights per year. ENAIRE manages 2.2 million km² of airspace from five air control centres and 21 control towers. ENAIRE controls a complex airspace of over 2,000,000 km², including one continental area and oceanic area. It also handles flights entering

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

from

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, as Spain is the port of entry linking traffic from these destinations with Europe,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. ENAIRE adapts to the seasonal nature of air traffic in Spain, where there is a considerably larger number of flights during the summer months. Spain is recorded to have the third-largest number of tourists in the world. ENAIRE participates in projects of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

related to the implementation of the

Single European Sky The Single European Sky (SES) is a European Commission initiative that seeks to reform the European air traffic management system through a series of actions carried out in four different levels (institutional, operational, technological and cont ...

, such as the group A6 and the European joint undertaking iTEC (with

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

and the air navigation providers NATS (United Kingdom), DFS (Germany), LVNL (Netherlands),

Avinor Avinor AS is a state-owned aksjeselskap, limited company that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor wa ...

(Norway), PANSA (Poland) and Oro Navigacija (Lithuania). ENAIRE is also a full member of CANSO. ENAIRE owns 51% of the capital of AENA S.A., the world's largest airport manager, with a network of 46 airports and 2 heliports in Spain. These include Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat,

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

and Málaga-Costa del Sol. This network records more than 207 million passengers per year. In addition, AENA S.A. participates in the management of 15 further airports in the United Kingdom, Colombia and Mexico.

Duties

Under the Act 09/2010, ENAIRE is the company designated by the State for the supply of air traffic services in the en-route and approach phases. ENAIRE performs the following air navigation functions: * The planning, management, coordination, operation, maintenance and administration of air traffic, the services of telecommunications and aeronautical information, as well as the infrastructure, facilities and communications networks of the air navigation system. The aim is to ensure that the aircraft moving around Spanish airspace obtain the utmost security, fluidity, efficiency and punctuality. * The preparation and approval of different kinds of projects, as well as the implementation and management of investment control. * Evaluation of the needs and proposals for new infrastructure, as well as possible modifications to the structure of the airspace. * Participation in specific aeronautical training, subject to the concession of official licenses. ENAIRE provides air navigation services using the following equipment and installations: * 5 control centres (

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

). * 21 control towers ( Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas,

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, Barcelona-El Prat,

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

, Girona-Costa Brava,

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

, Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén,

, Málaga-Costa del Sol,

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

Reus Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The area has long been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental significance during the time of the Phylloxera plague. Currently it is known f ...

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

, Seve Ballesteros-Santander, Tenerife Norte, Tenerife Sur and Vitoria). * 136 radio aids supporting navigation en route. * 50 radio aids providing airport guidance. * 49 en route surveillance systems, in airport proximities and on the ground at airfields. * 18 communications centres to cover Ground/Ground and Ground/Air communications. * 83 communications nodes for data transmission. ENAIRE performs the national and international operational coordination of the Spanish air traffic management network through efficient airspace management, taking into account respect for the environment and the needs of users. These services are provided from the five regional directorates of ENAIRE: Centre-North, East, South, Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, whose headquarters lie respectively in the control centres ( ACC) of Madrid, Barcelona,

and

History

In 1958, under the Act of 26 December 1958, the National Airports Executive was created as a corporation of public law of an autonomous nature, attached to the Air Ministry, which, as a consequence of the Act of 26 December 1958, on the Juridical Regime for Autonomous State Entities, became the Autonomous National Airport Authority (OAAN). As a consequence of the Air Navigation Act, the OAAN was created, attached to the Air Ministry and dependent on the Subsecretariat for

Civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, which can be both private and commercial. Most countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and ...

. In 1963 the Subsecretariat for Civil aviation was created within the Air Ministry (still a military authority), to which the OAAN was attached. Spain signed an agreement with

Eurocontrol The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol (stylised ''EUROCONTROL''), is an international organisation working to achieve safe and seamless air traffic management across Europe. Founded in 1963, Eur ...

as an associate state in 1972. The Autonomous National Airport Authority, dependent upon the Air Ministry, signed a convention with Eurocontrol in consideration for the use of the Air Navigation Facilities Network. In 1977, the creation of the Ministry for Transport and Communications entailed the integration of the Subsecretariat for Civil Aviation into the national civil service. In 1982 the disappearance of the Subsecretariat for Civil Aviation gave place to the creation of the General Directorate for Civil Aviation (DGAC), which took on the legislative and regulatory powers, as well as those of air navigation. OAAN became part of the Ministry for Transport, Tourism and Communications).

Creation of the public entity Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA)

Under the Royal Decree 905/1991, of 14 June, the statute of the public entity AENA (acronym: Spanish Airports and Air Navigation) was approved, and this came into force on 19 June 1991, the day following its publication in the Official Spanish Gazette (BOE). The directives for action by the new entity were set by the Government through the then Ministry for Transport, Tourism and Communications, today the Ministry for Public Works, and competences for management of the network of Spanish airports, air navigation facilities and support networks and control over air traffic were entrusted to it. On 29 June 1990, in application of Art. 82 of the Act 4/1990, of 29 June 1990, the public entity Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA), attached to the Ministry for Transport, Tourism and Communications, was created. On 2 November 1991 it began to provide airport services and, one years later, on 2 November 1992, AENA started to provide services related to

SACTA put into service at the Air Control Centres

Development having got under way in 1984, the operational system SACTA (Automated Air Traffic Control System), is owned by ENAIRE and was developed by Indra

SACTA was put into service at the Control Centre of

in the year 1990. In 1991, it came into service at the Air Traffic Control Centre of Madrid and, in 1992, at the Air Traffic Control Centre of

as well. At the Air Traffic Control Centres of

and Canary Islands, it was installed in 1994.

Entry of Spain into Eurocontrol

In 1997 Spain joined Eurocontrol as a full member.

New air traffic control centres

On 19 June 2001, the new Air Traffic Control Centre of

, replacing the former one situated at El Judío, came into operation. The Air Traffic Control Centre of Seville was the very first in Spain, its history stretching back to the year 1952. On 23 February 2005, the new Air Traffic Control Centre of Barcelona came into operation, replacing the former one situated at Gavá.

First flight plan system at European level

AENA, DFS and NATS, the air navigation service providers of Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom, signed an agreement to develop, jointly, the first flight plan system at a European level.

Liberalisation of aerodrome control

On 14 April 2010, the Act 9/2010 was published, regulating the provision of air traffic services, and the obligations of civil providers of such services are established, in addition to setting certain working conditions for civil air traffic controllers. This Act liberalised aerodrome control services. The airport of Lleida-Alguaire began operations in 2010 and was the first autonomous region airport, outside the AENA network, to receive air navigation services from AENA, later on handled by ENAIRE.

Separation between AENA Aeropuertos S.A. and AENA public corporate entity (EPE)

By resolution of the Cabinet on 25 February 2011, the company AENA Aeropuertos was created, pursuant to the Legislative Royal Decree 13, of 3 December 2010, of actions in the fiscal, occupational and liberalising areas to encourage investment and the creation of employment, and which included, in its legislative text, the modernisation of the airport system through the implantation of a new management model. By Ministerial Order of 7 June 2011, the commencement of the activity of AENA Aeropuertos, SA. was approved, to which entity all the duties and obligations previously exercised by the public corporate entity AENA in relation to the management and operation of airport services were entrusted. Service provision agreement between AENA Aeropuertos S.A. and AENA ( Public Corporate Entity). On 18 January 2012, José Manuel Vargas Gómez was appointed managing director-Chairman of the Public Corporate Entity Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA).

Agreement between Spain and Portugal on functional airspace blocks

On 17 March 2013 Spain and Portugal signed the agreement to establish the south-west airspace. Signed by the Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor Julián, and the Minister for the Economy and Employment of Portugal, Álvaro Santos Pereira, the agreement established a functional block for the management of the airspaces of Spain and Portugal (SW FAB – south-west zone of Europe).

The public corporate entity Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) becomes ENAIRE

The public corporate entity Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) changed its name to ENAIRE (Legislative Royal Decree 8, of 4 July 2014). ENAIRE continues with the same nature and juridical regime envisaged for the public corporate entity AENA, holding exclusive competences in relation to air navigation and airspace, as well as national and international operational coordination of the national air traffic management network. In addition, ENAIRE holds 51% of the shares of AENA S.A., which has been listed on the

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

since 11 February 2015. The Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing, Rafael Catalá Polo, became chairman of the Public Corporate Entity ENAIRE on 15 July 2014. With his subsequent appointment as Minister for Justice under the Royal Decree 851/2014 of 3 October, Julio Gómez-Pomar Rodríguez was appointed Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing and also assumed the chairmanship of ENAIRE.

AENA Aeropuertos becomes AENA S.A.

Under the Legislative Royal Decree 8, of 4 July 2014, the change of name of the company AENA Aeropuertos, S.A., to AENA, S.A., took place. ENAIRE possesses 51% of its shares.

iTEC agreement between ENAIRE, DFS, NATS, LVNL and Indra

The agreement to form the Group iTEC (Interoperability Through European Collaboration) was signed by the air navigation providers of Spain (ENAIRE), Germany ( DFS), the United Kingdom ( NATS) and Holland ( LVNL), and the Spanish company

, for the development of the future air controller post in Europe.

Appointment of Ángel Luis Arias Serrano

On 19 May 2015, Ángel Luis Arias Serrano (Madrid, 1960) was appointed managing director of ENAIRE by the board of directors of the public corporate entity ENAIRE. Between January 2012 and his appointment as managing director of ENAIRE, Ángel Luis Arias occupied the post of Director General of Civil Aviation, in the course of which he exercised the duties of Chairman of the Governing Board of the Spanish Air Safety Agency (AESA) and he has been a member of the boards of directors of ENAIRE and Senasa, as well as vice-chairman of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL).

New president

In June 2018, Julio Gómez-Pomar Rodríguez was dismissed as Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing with the publication of Royal Decree 506/2018, of 18 June, and the publication on the same day of Royal Decree 511 / 2018, of 18 June, whereby Pedro Saura García, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing, is appointed, then becomes president of ENAIRE. In accordance with the Royal Decree-Law 8/2014, of 4 July, concerning the governing bodies of the ENAIRE Public Business Entity, the position of President of the same will fall to the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing.

Subsidiaries

AENA

ENAIRE owns 51% of AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea), a network of 46 airports in Spain and abroad. AENA operates all the airports of

public interest In social science and economics, public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. While it has earlier philosophical roots and is considered to be at the core of democratic theories of government, often paired ...

in Spain and some air bases on a mixed basis with the Armed Forces of Spain. Also worth noting are Ceuta Heliport and Algeciras Heliport, the only heliports of the network. File:Logo AENA.svg, 1991–2011: First AENA logo, introduced in June 1991 File:Aena 2011 logo.png, 2011–14: Second AENA logo, introduced in 2011 File:Aena Logo New.svg, 2014–present: Third AENA logo, introduced in August 2014

Ineco

As of this writing ENAIRE holds 45.85% of public shares in INECO ("Transport Engineering and Economics") with the remainder of the shares distributed between

Renfe Operadora Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, Spanish National Railway Netwo ...

(12.78%) and Adif (41.37%). INECO specialises in conducting studies and projects linked to the transport and telecommunications sector. Created more than forty years ago, it has participated in all the major infrastructure projects for airports, railways and roads undertaken in Spain and many others internationally.

Crida

With the legal personality of an Economic Interest Grouping, ENAIRE (66.66%), Ineco (16.67%) and the

Polytechnic University of Madrid The Technical University of Madrid or sometimes called Polytechnic University of Madrid (, UPM) is a public university, located in Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1971 as the result of merging different Technical Schools of Engineering and Arc ...

(16.67%), have constituted the "ATM Research, Development and Innovation Reference Centre" (Crida) to engage in R&D+I activities in the area of ATM aimed at improving performance (in particular safety, capacity and economic and environmental efficiency) of the Spanish air navigation system, as an integral part of a global system. In addition, ENAIRE holds stakes in: EMGRISA (0.08%), Grupo Navegación por Satélite Sistemas y Servicios S.L. (19.3%), GroupEAD (36%) and Barcelona Regional (11.76%).

References

External links

Official website of ENAIRE

Official website of AENA

Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea

Ministerio de Fomento website

Flight information in Spain

{{authority control Air traffic control in Spain Airport operators Transport companies of Spain Government-owned companies of Spain Air navigation service providers IBEX 35