ENAIRE achieves an excellent result, having been selected for 19 of the 30 projects that will transform air traffic in Europe

• Of the 30 industrial research projects awarded in the last call of the European Commission, ENAIRE is involved in 19, and it heads 2 of them


• ENAIRE, together with its CRIDA and Ineco subsidiaries, will receive over 12 million euros of European funds to boost its R&D projects in air navigation


• CRIDA, an R&D subsidiary of ENAIRE, will continue to be the benchmark for the development of air traffic projects and demonstrations


• The use of artificial intelligence to improve weather forecasting and to manage operations in upper airspace is among ENAIRE's research plans for the coming years

ENAIRE received excellent results in the first call for the SESAR 3 programme in 2022, which was carried out in full competition among its members. The results were reported last February by the SESAR 3 public-private partnership.

The SESAR 3 joint venture is an institutionalised European partnership between private- and public-sector partners that uses research and innovation to accelerate the delivery of the Digital European Sky. It is made up of the European Commission and EUROCONTROL, with ENAIRE as one of the leading air navigation service providers, together with other key agents in the aviation sector (airlines, airports and industry).

It enhances, develops and accelerates the adoption of the most cutting-edge technological solutions for managing conventional aircraft, drones, air taxis and vehicles that fly at higher altitudes. At its meeting this past Monday the 27th, ENAIRE’s Governing Board was informed that the company has been awarded 20 projects, 19 of the industrial research projects and one exploratory research project.

ENAIRE, together with its CRIDA and Ineco subsidiaries, will receive over 12 million euros from European funds for its participation in the R&D projects of the SESAR 3 JU programme. CRIDA, a leading centre on ATM Research, Development and Innovation, will continue to be the driving force behind innovation in most of ENAIRE’s projects, which will also be supported by Ineco.

“Thanks to these projects, ENAIRE will continue to be a key player in the development of the European Digital Sky”, says Fernando Ferrández Martín, head of ENAIRE’s European Convergence Division.

Innovation is a key pillar for ENAIRE. These European funds will allow ENAIRE to move forward in its Innovation plan, which is part of ENAIRE’s Strategic Plan, the 2025 Flight Plan, and which will improve the current services and facilitate the transformation and modernisation of the company and of air navigation services.

ENAIRE’s main areas of participation will be:

• Analysis of the benefits of the new functions.

• Improve the balance between airspace capacity and demand.

• Application of artificial intelligence to manage air traffic, including better weather forecasting.

• Improved resilience of the system architectures, including service provision from virtual centres.

• Enhanced civil-military coordination.

• Improved communications services for ground/air data exchange.

• Integration with new airspace users (drones, spacecraft, etc.).

• ENAIRE as a U-Space service provider to digitally manage the integration of drones into airspace.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 45 control towers receive ENAIRE’s communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country’s busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is Europe’s fourth largest air traffic manager and participates in the A6 Alliance, a coalition of air navigation providers responsible for over 80% of European air traffic, and which is seeking to modernise the air traffic management system. It is also a member of other international alliances promoting the Single European sky, such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO and ICAO.

ENAIRE, as the agency appointed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to implement the U-space system in Spain, will be the provider of the Common Information Services (CIS), which are essential for administering U-space services to drones and Urban Air Mobility, in interaction with local air traffic control services, so that all types of aircraft can fly safely in the same airspace.

ENAIRE has received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator. It has also been awarded the EFQM 500 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.

About CRIDA

CRIDA A.I.E. is a non-profit group set up by ENAIRE, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte, S.A. (INECO).

Its mission is to improve the efficiency and performance of Spain’s air traffic management system by developing R&D ideas and projects that provide quantifiable solutions through system performance indicators, while considering the Spanish system as an integral part of a global system.

To do this, it must analyse the system’s benefits quantitatively and systematically, diagnose problems and identify their causes, propose and design innovative alternatives, identify and validate the optimal alternatives, and actively collaborate in the process of implementing the selected solution.

The system must be analysed in direct collaboration with ENAIRE, as the main partner, thereby contributing to its mission of providing air navigation services safely while ensuring quality, efficiency and respect for the environment.

About Ineco

Ineco (Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte S.M.E.M.P., S.A.) is a state-owned engineering and consultancy firm of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, and a leader in the field of mobility and digitisation. Its shareholders are ENAIRE (45.85%), Renfe (12.78%), Adif (20.69%) and Adif AV (20.68%).

Ineco has over 50 years of experience designing comprehensive, innovative and technological solutions for a more sustainable and secure transport model.

Ineco has taken part in projects involving high-speed rail, airports, roads, urban transport and smart cities in Spain and abroad. The company reported its best figures in 2022, with 360 million euros in sales and 838 million euros in its portfolio.

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