Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) and ENAIRE Strengthen Technical Cooperation in Air Navigation Communication Systems

A delegation from the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) visited ENAIRE’s facilities as part of international collaboration in air traffic management.

During the visit to ENAIRE’s Experimentation and Development Center (CED), PANSA representatives had the opportunity to learn firsthand about COMETA, the innovative digital voice and data communication platform over IP developed by ENAIRE. This system, key to the modernization of air navigation infrastructure in Spain, enables more efficient, secure, and resilient communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.
The Polish delegation was welcomed by ENAIRE’s technical staff, who conducted a practical demonstration of COMETA’s operation. The visit served as a space for exchanging experiences and best practices between both organizations, reinforcing cooperation ties within the European air navigation domain.

[PANSA delegation visits ENAIRE]

COMETA

The dual communication system COMETA (COMunicaciones voz intEgradas en sacTA) is a central element in voice communications at Control Centers and has been developed by ENAIRE as part of its goal to modernize and digitize air navigation infrastructure in Spain. Its deployment, nearly completed nationwide, is replacing previous analog systems as part of ENAIRE’s Flight Plan 2025 Technological Modernization Plan. It is based on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, representing a qualitative leap compared to traditional analog or hybrid systems.

[Visit to ENAIRE’s Experimentation and Development Center]

Key features include:

- VoIP Technology: Enables clearer and more reliable communications between pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as between controllers at different work centers.

- High Operational Resilience: Ensures service continuity even in degraded technical or emergency scenarios.

- Cost Reduction: Uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, reducing maintenance costs and facilitating scalability.

 -Interoperability: Complies with international standards from organizations such as EUROCAE, EUROCONTROL, IETF, ITU, and ICAO.

- Future-Ready: Supports the integration of new functionalities such as dynamic airspace sectorization and satellite communications.

[Visit to ENAIRE’s Experimentation and Development Center ]

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is Spain’s national air navigation service provider.
As a company under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, it provides en-route and approach air traffic control services for all domestic flights and overflights. It also manages ENAIRE’s communication, navigation, and surveillance services across Spanish airspace and throughout Aena’s airport network in Spain and provides aerodrome air traffic control services at 21 airports, including the busiest ones.

ENAIRE is the fourth-largest air traffic manager in Europe and is a member of international alliances such as A6 Alliance, SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, and CANSO, and collaborates closely with ICAO.
ENAIRE has achieved the highest rating in the European air safety performance indicator for four consecutive years. It also holds the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative, and sustainable management of air navigation services.

About PANSA

The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) ensures the safety of passengers on nearly 3,000 aircraft flying over Poland. It covers over 334,000 km2 of airspace supervised, one of the largest in Europe. Every day, nearly half a million passengers fly over Poland. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency is the only institution in Poland that trains and employs civil air traffic controllers.  The objective of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency is to provide safe, seamless and efficient air navigation for all users of Polish airspace, through, among other things, human development, strengthening a strong safety culture, and investing in innovation and critical aviation infrastructure.