ENAIRE puts a new radar into service to enhance air traffic surveillance in Gran Canaria

ENAIRE, the air navigation service provider, commissioned a state-of-the-art primary radar at Gran Canaria Airport on 27 November that will enhance coverage and surveillance during approaches, take-offs, and landings at the airport.

The new 3D primary radar at Gran Canaria is capable of detecting traffic within a 100 nautical mile radius (approximately 185 km). This type of radar strengthens the air traffic detection capabilities of the current secondary radar (Mode S) at Gran Canaria Airport, providing the necessary and obligatory reliability for surveillance in the event of potential failures or interruptions in the transponders aboard aircraft.

The installation and commissioning of this radar is part of a project that includes the operational deployment of three other 3D primary radars, with a total investment of €20,898,529.

This radar replaces the previous civil primary radar, installed in 2011, and represents a significant advancement in the technology used, transitioning from a 2D primary radar to a 3D radar. It features a radiation pattern based on electronic beams, which can be used to discriminate detections by altitude. This, along with advanced signal processing of detections, will improve its performance in the presence of wind turbines, a renewable energy source that is prevalent in the surrounding area.

With the introduction of the new primary radar, the surveillance systems at Gran Canaria, which already included a Mode S secondary radar with digital receivers and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers, are now fully equipped with the latest technology, further enhancing safety in the airspace of the Canary Islands.

This 3D primary radar, manufactured by Indra, is the second radar of its kind to be deployed in ENAIRE’s surveillance network.

The installation improves the international standing of ENAIRE as an air navigational manager in the field of surveillance, in line with European requirements to phase in new technologies that improve air traffic management in Europe.