ENAIRE estimates that it will coordinate 64% more drone operations by the close of 2022

• The GO-DRON operational working group brings together industry associations, police, Air Force, the aviation authority, the ministries of the Interior, Defence and Transport, emergency organisations and others to bring about changes in airspace that will facilitate the growth of the drone sector
  
• ENAIRE shares with the sector the progress made in U-Space and associated projects to test the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft
  
• Next week in Villacarrillo, Jaén, the tests of the European Uspace4UAM project will be conducted, with ENAIRE participating as the air navigation service provider

Last Tuesday, ENAIRE, as part of the GO-DRON unmanned aviation operating group, analysed the status of the changes to airspaces, restricted areas, environmentally protected areas, etc., to facilitate the development of the drone sector, as well as the U-Space projects in which it participates, and it announced that an estimated 10,000 transactions will be processed by the close of 2022, which would represent a 64% increase over 2021. 96% of flight operation requests are processed approximately 7 days in advance.

The task group led by ENAIRE, known as GO-DRON, has added two new members with the incorporation of the Federación Española de Deportes Aéreos and the DRONIBERIA association.

Aerial work, with its relevant aeronautical safety study (EAS) and operational risk assessment and mitigation study (EARO), is processed through the www.planea.enaire.es website, where this type of work is initially coordinated.

These reports are necessary for all operators registered with AESA, and they analyse the risks for the type of flight that an operator plans to carry out in controlled airspace.

ENAIRE also offers the map www.drones.enaire.es (also available as an Android app) to help pilots and operators of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) by providing them with the aeronautical information they need to plan their operations safely. This information is based on the current ENAIRE AIP ESPAÑA publication and can be used to consult alerts, notifications and NOTAMs that may affect their flight.

Operational challenges with drones

The meeting reviewed the progress achieved in cooperation with the Air Force General Staff, the Secretariat of State for Security, the Civil Aviation General Directorate and AESA, which make these operations and the growth of the
sector possible.

The Secretariat of State for Security has worked with AESA on a guide for law enforcement agencies to standardise procedures in every region of Spain and make it easier to oversee professional and recreational operations.

The GO-DRON group is an ENAIRE initiative to address the sector’s current and future challenges in response to the growth in drone operations. The work group consists of the airline associations AECA and ALA, SEPLA, the Galician Emergency Management Agency, the Spanish Firefighting Association (ASELF), the defence association TEDAE, the Civil Aviation General Directorate, Aena, AESA, the Air Force Staff, the Department of Customs and Special Taxes of the Revenue Agency, the Secretariat of State for Security, representing law enforcement, the Aerial Support Section of the Madrid Municipal Police and the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

U-Space projects and news

ENAIRE took the opportunity to discuss developments involving U-Space, the system that will regulate how drones are integrated into conventional air traffic. Last June, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) published the U-Space National Deployment Plan in Spain (PANDU), available on the Mitma website, the challenge of which is to coordinate the deployment of this system between public bodies with different functions and responsibilities.

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