ENAIRE grants its innovation award to a project proposing an AI-powered flow management model for adverse weather situations

ENAIRE reaffirms its commitment to innovation and the development of new ideas with its internal Innovation Award. Now in its seventh edition, the winning project is the ‘Model for predicting operational degradation in adverse weather’, submitted by Adrián Utande Piorno and Francisco Manuel Tortosa López from the Operations Directorate, and Karina Martínez Pérez from the Systems Directorate. 

The winning project for 2025 puts forward solutions based on artificial intelligence as an additional tool in flow-management decision-making during adverse weather situations

The proposal focuses on developing a tactical assistant for traffic-flow and weather management that relies on advanced artificial-intelligence techniques. Its aim is to anticipate the expected impact on available airspace capacity during adverse convective-weather situations and to recommend optimal network-level traffic-management measures, taking into account traffic-demand distribution and knock-on effects on the rest of the airspace and airports. 

The project's four functional pillars include: 

- Prediction: the assistant estimates the effects on a specific airspace sector using classical artificial-intelligence techniques. 

- Interconnectivity: it assesses the influence of one airspace sector on others using network-connection models. 

- Optimisation: it applies multi-objective algorithms to select measures for managing air traffic flow and capacity based on their impact on routes and delay. 

- Scenario simulation: it enables what-if decision analysis,taking into account multiple configurations, constraints and weather scenarios. 

The project’s expected benefits include several tangible improvements in air-traffic management: 

- Optimising capacity management in adverse-weather conditions, mitigating the spread of incidents between airspace sectors and airports. 

- Better resource use, optimising fuel, routes and airspace capacity. 

- Greater predictive and planning capability, supporting proactive and early decision-making. 

- Dynamic optimisation, with faster decisions and a larger volume of data to improve operational complexity and the expected impact on users. 

The ENAIRE Innovation Awards aim to stimulate creativity within the organisation. Through these awards, ENAIRE seeks to encourage its professionals to generate innovative ideas, promote their talent, build a pool of proposals aligned with its Strategic Plan (Flight Plan) and support the highest level of innovation and transformation in project development, turning initiatives into real solutions that bring value to the future of air navigation. 

ENAIRE staff can submit proposals in seven strategic categories: 

- Safety: proactive prevention of air incidents. 

- Service quality: continuous improvement for customers. 

- Sustainability: innovation for sustainable air traffic. 

- Business and internationalisation: new customers, Urban Air Mobility and U-Space. 

- Efficiency and competitiveness: improved processes and services. 

- Transformation and modernisation: new air traffic management technologies. 

- Other projects.

ENAIRE’s Director General, Enrique Maurer, highlighted at the award ceremony the high technical standard of all ten entries submitted, “which represents a major step forward in consolidating the award as a benchmark for promoting and recognising innovation within the organisation”. 

[From left to right, Enrique maurer, Francisco Manuel Tortosa, Adrián Utande and Karina Martínez]. 

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 five 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.