ENAIRE is one of the most advanced ANSPs in Europe, what operational and technical challenges are high in your agenda?

In order to face the new challenges of  growth in air traffic in Europe while ensuring that Europe’s airspace has adequate capacity and is fit for purpose now and in the future (2035), ENAIRE is strongly committed with the implementation and development of the  Digital Single European Sky (SES) in Europe. Keeping safety as a priority, ENAIRE looks forward to provide a seamless, uninterrupted safe service, by investing in modern and efficient air traffic infrastructure whilst controlling costs, under a regulation that is performance-based rather than prescriptive and duly addressing the impact on the human dimension.

Without doubt, Technology and Environment are the two main challenges that European Air Navigation Services Providers are facing.

Modernisation  should rely on and supported by innovative technologies that will be used to enhance automation and  digitalisation, promoting virtualisation, permitting shorter and more direct routes  and allowing to provide a cheaper and more efficient and sustainable service  by means of, among others, the implementation of Free Route airspace, Advanced FUA,  Virtual Centres or Remote Towers, big data techniques, etc.. facilitated by a robust interoperability.

New airspace users, such as drones are also a challenge. The drone business sector is growing at an ever-faster pace supported by the emerging technologies, and is another emerging challenge that will need to be addressed and accommodated. In this regard, ANSPs will have to play a key role in this market.

Innovation is certainly playing a key role in the aviation sector. Remote Towers, drones and satellite technologies represent key areas of work for ANSPs, what is your experience and your view for the future?

In the field of remote towers, AENA, the Spanish airport operator, has commissioned ENAIRE the development of a remote tower centre and service for the Menorca  aerodrome where ENAIRE provides ATS services. ENAIRE will also support AENA in a similar initiative for liberalized Vigo aerodrome. ENAIRE expects to start providing its first ATS service from a remote tower throughout 2021.

This way, ENAIRE will be able to extend ATS aerodrome certification to cover remote operations at the time it develops its own technological Remote Tower solution based on our owned ATC system, SACTA, and as a forerunner for a potential future provision to several airports from a single multiple-position-centre.

In the field of drones and after a considerable effort, we have been able in these last two years to  catch up with the different European initiatives and become leaders in SJU U-space Projects like DOMUS, a successful U-space Demonstrator of a federated architecture where multiple U-space service provider can safely, efficiently and orderly operate interconnected to the Ecosystem manager, which also provides the interface with ATM. At this point, we must acknowledge and thank ENAV support where its D-Flight ENAV successful initiative have been our beacon in this journey.

We aspire to lead and complete the deployment of U-space in Spain, and continue an active and relevant participation both in national and European related projects, in close coordination with our ANSP partners.

Regarding the satellite technology, ENAIRE is a founder member, together with ENAV and other European ANSPs, of the ESSP (European Satellite Services Provider), that has been providing the European satellite-based navigation service (EGNOS) for nearly a decade. ENAIRE is also participating in the ESA project “IRIS with IOC” with other European ANSPs, including ENAV, where we are defining the future service based on the Inmarsat’s space based communications technology.

Finally, ENAIRE is also interested in the future space based ADS-B service, currently just provided by Aireon, and we are evaluating the different market options in this regard as we believe that more than one provider will benefit the market competition as well as the technological improvements in their future developments.

What are ENAIRE key priorities for the future at national and international level?

The key priorities for the future of ENAIRE focus on enhancing mobility and contributing to the improvement of services with punctuality, efficiency and environmental sustainability, assuring always the highest levels of safety. In this framework, the effective implementation of the Digital Single European Sky will be key and the basis for better performance, paying particular attention to human factors and, always, in collaboration with all the european agents involved at all levels.

Business development is paramount in the present context, and ENAIRE is promoting its involvement in the drones/U-Space sector, anticipating its needs and guaranteeing its safe and efficient integration into airspace, in coexistence with traditional aviation.

At international level, ENAIRE will also increase its competitiveness with the goal of becoming a Global Air Navigation Services Operator, ensuring its future positioning through the deep transformation of the sector.

All challenges mentioned above will go hand- in- hand with a deep modernization and transformation of the organizational culture of ENAIRE, which will be done with ENAIRE staff being fully involved in the process, accompanied by a more intense digitalization of the company.

Our next strategic plan, named “Plan de Vuelo 2025”, that I intend to present to ENAIRE´s Administrative Board in march 2020, will reflect all the above priorities.