NAV Portugal sets new traffic record managing more than 855,000 flights in 2019

NAV Portugal had another historic year, having managed 855,994 flights in 2019 – a record number that represents a 2.7% increase on 2018, which had also been a record year in terms of the amount of controlled traffic.

The total number of flights, or movements, managed by NAV includes not only flights originating from or destined for Portuguese airports but also overflights of Portuguese airspace – which covers more than 5.8 million square kilometres [see infographic].

Looking at each of the flight information regions (FIRs) into which the airspace managed by NAV is divided, the 3.3% increase in the number of flights managed by the Lisbon FIR in 2019 stands out, surpassing the 2.8% increase recorded in 2018.

Flights managed by Lisbon FIR include all traffic flying over Mainland Portugal and the Madeira archipelago, as well as the traffic managed by the Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Cascais, Funchal and Porto Santo control towers.

The Santa Maria FIR experienced a slight increase over 2018, managing 0.2% more flights, enough to surpass 168,000 controlled flights. This FIR includes all traffic managed by the Santa Maria, Ponta Delgada, Horta and Flores control towers, as well as all overflights of the vast area of the North Atlantic that is under Portuguese control.