The ENAIRE, COPAC, APROCTA, and UPCA Observatory reports a 25% reduction in emissions from aviation

The Air Operations Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability Observatory, composed of ENAIRE as the national air navigation service provider, the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC), the Professional Association of Air Traffic Controllers (APROCTA), and the Professional Union of Air Traffic Controllers (UPCA), conducted over 5,000 direct flight observations throughout 2024, collecting data aimed at identifying best practices that result in operational improvements.

A reduction of 6,000 tonnes of emissions has been achieved since the start of observations involving flight planning, largely due to airspace design and management optimisation measures promoted as part of ENAIRE’s Strategic Plan

In the recently held Government Committee, which analysed the results of the year, it was noted how operational efficiency has been maintained despite the record growth of air traffic.

Environmental aspects have been another priority for 2024, with the collection of parameters to measure certain impacts on arrivals and departures at the airports analysed by the Observatory: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, Palma, Málaga-Costa del Sol and Gran Canaria.

This environmental analysis shows a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 25% in terms of flight planning during the taxiing, climb and descent phases, which equates to more than 6,000 tonnes of emission savings since the start of the observations, achieved in part due to a schedule that is more in line with needs, and largely thanks to the airspace optimisation and management measures and projects promoted in the national plan by ENAIRE.

Another goal of the Observatory is to improve the mutual understanding of operations between pilots and air traffic controllers through visits to control towers and air traffic control centres where both professional groups can share views and experiences. Throughout 2024, visits were made to ENAIRE's air traffic control centres in Madrid, Barcelona and Gran Canaria, and the plan in 2025 is to continue these visits to other facilities managed by ENAIRE, such as the control towers in Barcelona, Málaga and Gran Canaria.

The Air Operations Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability Observatory was established in 2019 by ENAIRE and COPAC, in collaboration with APROCTA, and the first direct observations were made in 2020. Since then, nearly 15,000 observations have been collected, representing a valuable data source. They are analysed in the monitoring committees in order to identify best practices and areas of improvement to promote operational safety and the environment.

Currently, 36 COPAC pilots and 24 ENAIRE air traffic controllers are actively collaborating in this Observatory. In 2025, more pilot-observers and air traffic controllers are expected to join this initiative in order to increase the data collection capacity and its subsequent analysis in the monitoring committees.

About the Air Operations Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability Observatory

The Air Operations Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability Observatory is an initiative of ENAIRE, the national air navigation service provider, and the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC) that, together with the Professional Association of Air Traffic Controllers (APROCTA) and the Professional Union of Air Traffic Controllers (UPCA), works for the continuous improvement of air safety and operational procedures.

To achieve these objectives, the Observatory collects, classifies and analyses predetermined data to obtain indicators on the safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of air operations through observations made by pilots and air traffic controllers.

By collecting these parameters, the Observatory identifies best practices in the safety, efficiency and sustainability of operations, while promoting and improving the mutual understanding of operations between pilots and controllers.