Spain’s air-navigation provider ENAIRE unveiled a 70-measure operational plan on 6 July aimed at handling a projected 3 % jump in flight movements this summer. The package combines technology upgrades—such as performance-based navigation routes and new conflict-prediction tools in the SACTA system—with human resources, including the addition of 79 newly certified controllers. Last year ENAIRE managed a record 2.47 million flights; union leaders warn that staffing levels have not kept pace. While welcoming the hires, the SPICA controllers’ union argues that hundreds more positions are needed to offset years of attrition and to prevent fatigue-induced delays during July-August peaks. From a mobility standpoint, the plan’s emphasis on satellite-based approaches should reduce track-miles and cut fuel burn—benefits that resonate with corporate sustainability targets. Enhanced coordination with EUROCONTROL and meteorological agency AEMET is expected to trim weather-related holding times, a chronic pain-point for business jets operating on tight schedules. However, risk managers note that industrial-relations tensions could still trigger short-notice work-to-rules. Companies with critical crew or executive movements are advised to retain contingency slots at secondary airports such as Zaragoza or Valencia and to monitor NOTAMs daily throughout the high season.
Source: Controladores Aéreos
