The mayor of Salou, Pere Granados, presents the 2026 Josep Canudas Award to Mariano Gasparet on behalf of the ENAIRE Foundation.
• The award, presented by Salou Town Council, recognises the ENAIRE Foundation’s work in promoting and raising awareness of aeronautical culture, as well as its continued commitment to preserving and sharing aviation heritage
• José Antonio Santano, Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility and Chairman of ENAIRE, stresses that the award “is an incentive to continue contributing to the preservation of aeronautical heritage”
• The award was presented at the Club Nàutic de Salou as part of the Festa al Cel, following the air display
The ENAIRE Foundation has been honoured with the 2026 Josep Canudas Award in recognition of its work to promote awareness, preservation and dissemination of aeronautical heritage. The award, granted by Salou Town Council, particularly highlights its continued commitment to preserving and promoting awareness of aviation heritage.
The award was presented in Salou as part of the Festa al Cel 2026 programme. The ceremony was held, after the air display had finished, in the festival’s official area at the Club Nàutic de Salou.
José Antonio Santano, Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility and Chairman of ENAIRE, expressed his thanks for the award, which the ENAIRE Foundation accepted “with particular satisfaction” because it “recognises the work we do to bring aeronautical culture closer to society and is also an incentive to keep contributing to the preservation of a heritage that forms part of our collective history”. Mariano Gasparet, a trustee of the ENAIRE Foundation and ENAIRE’s Communications Director, accepted the award on the Foundation’s behalf.
The Fundació Parc Aeronàutic de Catalunya, which organises the Josep Canudas Award, has been working since 1997 on the restoration, preservation and dissemination of historic aeronautical heritage. Its work includes restoring and maintaining aircraft, organising exhibitions and educational activities, and developing training programmes aimed at younger generations.
The award is named after Josep Canudas i Busquets, a pioneer of Catalan aviation who trained pilots and was a driving force behind flying clubs, schools and aeronautical infrastructure. His career embodies the connection between innovation, training, public service and the transmission of aviation heritage.
Mariano Gasparet, from the ENAIRE Foundation, during his remarks at the closing ceremony of the Festa al Cel, alongside the mayor of Salou, Pere Granados
Group photo of the 2026 Festa al Cel award winners with Salou’s mayor, Pere Granados
About the ENAIRE Foundation
The ENAIRE Foundation, a cultural institution under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, manages, preserves and promotes the ENAIRE Contemporary Art Collection—a public cultural service connected with airport infrastructure.
It is the only foundation in Spain that brings together two seemingly disparate fields—art and aviation culture—and also runs an extensive programme of cultural activities on the ENAIRE Collection and aviation.
Since 2021, the ENAIRE Foundation has been running the Naves de Gamazo Arts Centre in Santander. The Centre is a model of institutional collaboration, involving the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the Port of Santander and the Government of Cantabria—the latter through its Regional Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and its Regional Company for Education, Culture and Sport.
The ENAIRE Foundation uses innovative museum resources as part of its digital ecosystem, promoting wider access to art and aviation culture.
The digital ecosystem is accessible worldwide via the FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE.
About ENAIRE
ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.
As a company of the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility, it provides air traffic control services during the en route and approach phases of all flights to and from Spain and overflights. In addition, it manages communications, navigation and surveillance services from ENAIRE in the airspace and the entire AENA airport network in Spain and provides aerodrome air traffic control services in 21 airports, including the busiest.
ENAIRE is the fourth largest European air navigation service provider, and it is a member of international partnerships A6 Alliance, SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and collaborates closely with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).
ENAIRE has achieved the highest rating for the key performance indicator regarding air safety at the European level for six consecutive years, securing the maximum possible score of 100%. It has also been awarded the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.