The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ENAIRE, the Spanish air navigation services provider, along with ACETA, the Spanish Airlines’ Association, have agreed to augment their cooperation for the development and implementation of ENAIRE´s Strategic Plan, “FlightPlan 2020”. This will be of benefit both to the Spanish economy and to the travelers through reform and modernization of Spanish airspace and air traffic management (ATM).
Currently, air transport contributes 7% to Spain’s GDP and has created approximately 400,000 jobs. Successful airspace modernization should result in a number of clear benefits, while generating an extra 1.4% in GDP annually and supporting roughly 65,000 jobs over the next two decades.
Aviation demand in Spain is expected to grow by 4% per annum until 2020, which means 300,000 new flights to, from and within Spain. Dealing with this increased demand – while maintaining safety, reducing costs, CO2 emissions and delays – needs Spain to modernize its airspace and ATM network.
“FlightPlan 2020” intends to build on the recent success of airspace and further-reaching ATM developments inaugurated by ENAIRE and Spanish stakeholders in response to the Single European Sky objectives and to further support the modernization and improvements in safety, environmental footprint, operational performance, cost efficiency and business continuity, which are at the core of the ENAIRE Strategic Plan.
The agreement reached by ENAIRE, IATA, and ACETA will be based on three main pillars: a shared stakeholder approach, airspace management, and technical modernisation of the ATM systems.
According to IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac: “This partnership marks a defining moment in the relationship between ENAIRE and its customer airlines. ENAIRE has shown real vision to bring airlines into the strategic direction of air navigation service provision. Together, we can help create a plan which will bring great benefits to Spain, both now and for the future. This is only the start of a long and fruitful partnership to come. We look forward to working with ENAIRE to make their “FlightPlan 2020” not only a success for Spain, but also a key contribution towards achieving the goals of the Single European Sky.”
