Raquel Sánchez announces that ENAIRE is seeking to fill 137 new air traffic controller positions

The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, announced today that ENAIRE will call for 137 air traffic controller positions at the end of this year to deal with the expected increase in air traffic.

This announcement coincides with the celebration of the World ATM Congress, the World Congress of Air Navigation, whose ninth edition takes place in Madrid this week, from June 21 to 23. Raquel Sánchez has confirmed that the national air navigation manager will continue to incorporate new air traffic controllers in line with the provisions of its strategic plan. This strategy of reinforcing control personnel has not been paralyzed by the pandemic, which has allowed it to have a higher air traffic controller workforce this summer than it had in 2019 before the crisis.

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda is making an effort, through ENAIRE, to equip itself with the necessary human resources to deal with the growth in air traffic that is expected for the coming years, whose recovery is already is being produced in 2022.

The evolution of air traffic and its forecasts confirm the increase in flights in the ENAIRE network. Last May, 95.1% of flights were recovered in May compared to the record levels of 2019. The week of June 5 to 11, air traffic registered at Palma de Mallorca airport exceeded the highest levels of 2019 Likewise, in this context of recovery of air traffic, ENAIRE has launched the Summer Plan 2022-2023 with the technical, operational and human resources measures that allow it to be addressed with the best safety and quality of service indices.

ENAIRE's planning to increase the air traffic controller workforce to meet traffic forecasts has been a constant since 2016. That year, ENAIRE had a total of 1,968 air traffic controllers, including operational controllers and those in management and support tasks . Currently the total number of controllers is 2,117 (7.6% higher).

By region, the templates and increases in operational controllers (those who are enabled and available for operations) are: South, 250 controllers (+9.6%); Canary Islands, 264 (+9.0%); East, 512 (+8.2%), Balearic Islands, 197 (+5.9%) and Center-North, 630 (+1.7%).

In total, between 2016 and 2021, 5 calls for air traffic controller positions have been managed, which has meant the incorporation of 528 professionals with a huge effort in training and qualification in ENAIRE's control centers and towers.

In other words, with the new call for 137 control positions at the end of this year, a total of 665 new air traffic controller positions will have been created since 2016, which will mean a renewal of 33.4% of the workforce.

Selection process

The call for vacancies will be available on the ENAIRE website Empleo.enaire.es and will be announced in due course through the Official State Gazette (BOE) and its communication channels.

Once the selection process is completed and as a condition for hiring, you must have an air traffic controller license or a student air traffic controller license. Candidates must complete a specialized training course that will qualify them for the development of the air traffic control profession.

This course constitutes the so-called Initial Training. There are several schools duly certified by the State Aviation Safety Agency, to be able to provide this type of training, which allows them to obtain the authorizations required by ENAIRE.

Once hired by ENAIRE, they must pass a Unit training course with an estimated duration of between 3 and 6 months, depending on the unit, which will allow them to provide air traffic controller services at the assigned destination.

ENAIRE at the World ATM

In Hall 9, stand 844, ENAIRE presents the deployment of iFOCUCS, the most advanced air control position that all its air control centers in Spain will have.

Likewise, ENAIRE will share its leadership in Spain in the advanced development of the use of drones. ENAIRE, as the responsible agent identified by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda for the implementation in Spain of the U-space system, through its digital platform, will provide the common information services (CISP).