ENAIRE successfully deployed its maximum airspace capacity to manage all flight operations for the Summit, with minimal impact on airspace users

ENAIRE has successfully completed the airspace management operations designed for the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place in Seville from 30 June to 3 July. 

ENAIRE deployed its maximum airspace capacity to accommodate the hundred or so flights of the delegations attending the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development 

Since February, ENAIRE personnel have taken part in numerous coordination meetings to prepare for the summit, alongside law enforcement agencies, the Air and Space Force, military officials from the Morón and Rota Air Bases, Aena, the Office of the Prime Minister, the State Secretariat for Security and airspace users, and others. In addition, during the conference, ENAIRE was also present at the Coordination Centre set up by the Ministry of the Interior to provide the necessary support in coordinating its activities with air operations at Seville Airport and Morón Air Base. 

ENAIRE coordinated with the Office of the Prime Minister the process of allocating slots to the aircraft attending the event in Seville, in order to ensure a smooth and balanced distribution of operations, in line with the available airspace capacity. 

On 29 June, ahead of the opening of the event, ENAIRE managed the arrival of participating delegations, handling 100 flights carrying official delegations at Seville Airport and Morón Air Base, including 40 state aircraft flights and 60 commercial flights carrying delegations. 

At ENAIRE’s Control Centre in Seville, which manages 175,000 km2 of airspace over the south of mainland Spain, a total of 1,743 flights were handled on 29 June, a 3% increase compared to the same day in 2024 and a rise of 25% compared to the same day in 2019. 

Maximum airspace capacity 

ENAIRE prepared to operate at maximum airspace capacity by opening all 10 available sectors (its full capacity), staffed with air traffic controllers to provide optimal and smooth air traffic services both to aircraft associated with the Conference and to others, ensuring they were not affected by it. 

Maintenance technicians also extended their shifts on 29 and 30 June at Seville Airport to attend to ENAIRE’s communication, navigation and surveillance systems, ensuring all systems were fully monitored with reinforced response times; notably, no technical incidents occurred. 

With the same objective of providing optimal air traffic control services in terms of capacity and flow, the air traffic flow control service was strengthened at ENAIRE’s Air Traffic Control Centre in Seville. 

Regarding the level of air traffic flow, it was not necessary to apply any air traffic restrictions at the Seville Air Traffic Control Centre due to the summit. Such restrictions are usually applied because of adverse weather or high traffic volumes, among other reasons. Therefore, no air traffic flow management (ATFM) delays attributable to the event occurred within ENAIRE’s area of responsibility. 

Additionally, ENAIRE coordinated directly with the European network manager, EUROCONTROL, to implement measures for commercial flights carrying delegations that were experiencing delays caused by restrictions issued by European route control centres. Close and continuous coordination was also maintained with the control towers at Seville Airport and Morón Air Base to facilitate arrivals without delays at both airports. 

Additionally, airspace users were informed about the operational aspects and restrictions associated with the conference’s operations to ensure minimal impact on general aviation and pilot schools, while remaining compatible with the event’s operational and security arrangements. To this end, a temporary segregated airspace zone was created encompassing Seville Airport and its metropolitan area, where only authorised flights were permitted, drones were prohibited, and en-route flights were unaffected. 

“The Seville Conference has been an operational management success, and I am grateful for the effort of all ENAIRE professionals, which has already been demonstrated on other demanding occasions such as the European Political Community summit in Granada and the NATO summit in Madrid, where event air traffic has to be coordinated alongside regular traffic. From January to May, it is worth noting that ENAIRE’s Control Centre in Seville managed 221,637 flights, 7.2% more than in 2024”, stated Xavier Benavent, ENAIRE’s Director of Operations. 

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 received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator for four years in a row. It has also been awarded the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.