Single European Sky
The Single European Sky (SES) is a 2004 European Union regulatory initiative aimed at restructuring the continent’s air navigation management system.
The objectives of SES are to harmonise and improve the efficiency of air navigation services in the EU by increasing air traffic control capacity, enhancing safety, reducing the fragmentation of European airspace, improving the integration of military airspace, and facilitating the introduction of new technologies.
Since its establishment, ENAIRE has become one of the most influential providers in the project, leading certain programmes and strengthening our presence and influence in international forums.
Initiatives
The main initiatives of the Single European Sky project include:
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SESAR Programme (Single European Sky ATM Research)
This programme includes the R&D phase associated with modernising air traffic management in Europe. SESAR is the technological pillar of the EU’s Single European Sky and a key element of the European Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. SESAR defines, develops, and implements technologies to transform air traffic management in Europe. ENAIRE participates in several SESAR projects; details of our participation can be consulted in the following document.
More information on the projects managed by the SESAR Joint Undertaking can be found at https://www.sesarju.eu/projects/portal
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SESAR Deployment Manager
In December 2014, the deployment phase of the SESAR Programme began with the European Commission’s designation of the European Deployment Manager (SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM)), responsible for coordinating the deployment of SESAR infrastructure and, in particular, the functionalities included in Common Project 1 (CP1).
As a founding member of the SDM, ENAIRE actively participates, together with other key stakeholders in European aviation, in the coordination, decision-making, and governance processes related to the synchronisation of the deployment of new technologies and infrastructure at European level.
In addition, ENAIRE has taken part in the successive annual calls launched since 2014 by CINEA (Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency), aimed at subsidising the implementation of projects. This European body, among other responsibilities, seeks to facilitate the interconnection of European transport networks.
As a member of the SDA Consortium, ENAIRE participates in synchronising the implementation and deployment of SESAR projects, which received EU funding for the period 2014–2020 amounting to between EUR 2.0 and 2.3 billion (Connecting Europe Facility – CEF funds).
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SESAR Joint Undertaking (R&D)
As a member of the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), ENAIRE took part in the implementation of the SESAR 2020 R&D Work Programme and in other additional initiatives managed by the SJU, participating in control and governance decisions through the relevant bodies.
The SESAR 2020 R&D programme was structured in two sub-phases, known respectively as Wave 1 and Wave 2, and concluded in 2023. Activities under the Digital European Sky, or SESAR 3, have now begun, structured through different calls for research (Exploratory Research), development (Industrial Research), and demonstrators (funded by CINEA and managed by the S3JU). Within this framework, together with its affiliates and associates and the other members of the S3JU, ENAIRE will work on the projects awarded to it as a result of the bids submitted, shaping its strategy in line with iTEC plans and strategies (the future flight data processing system and controller working position), and coordinating its participation with that of the other A6 air navigation service providers.
Following the bid selection process for SESAR 2020 Wave 1, ENAIRE was selected to participate in the execution of 19 R&D projects and large-scale demonstrations required to achieve the most advanced service levels set out in the European ATM Master Plan.
ENAIRE’s participation in the Deployment Manager contributes to the internationalisation of its activities, adding experience to its service portfolio that provides a foundation for future development opportunities. From a strategic perspective, it enables ENAIRE to contribute to the definition and evolution of the Single European Sky Deployment Programme, thereby minimising the impact on the organisation’s investment plans.
The consortium initially established evolved into a legal entity in 2017: the SESAR Deployment Alliance, an international non-profit association, based in Belgium and governed by Belgian law, of which ENAIRE was a founding member. Following the end of the designation of the SESAR Deployment Manager in 2022, a new consortium or partnership was established—bringing together airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, and the Network Manager—to address the new challenges of modernisation and digitisation: the SESAR Deployment & Infrastructure Manager (SDIP), in which ENAIRE has been participating since its inception.
Deployment of European projects
ENAIRE continues to participate actively in the planning and coordination activities of the SESAR deployment through the various mechanisms and processes established by the European Commission, in particular:
- European ATM Master Plan (2025 edition): ENAIRE contributes to the periodic review and update of the ATM Master Plan, which defines the planning of SESAR Solutions and the medium-term operational and technological deployment objectives, in alignment with the Digital European Sky.
- EUROCONTROL Implementation Plan and Report (EIPAR): ENAIRE actively participates in the implementation and development of the new EIPAR process promoted by EUROCONTROL, whose aim is to integrate planning, monitoring, and reporting activities related to the implementation of the Single European Sky. This process seeks to improve consistency between strategic planning (ATM Master Plan), execution (CP1 / Deployment Programme), and the preparation of national plans (LSSIP), fostering a more integrated and coordinated approach at European level.
- Coordination of the annual preparation of Spain’s Local Single Sky Implementation Plan (LSSIP): ENAIRE leads the national coordination of LSSIP Spain, which includes the planning and monitoring of implementation activities by all national stakeholders, as well as compliance with the objectives of the ATM Master Plan.
- Contribution to the monitoring of the Deployment Programme (DP): ENAIRE is involved in updating and monitoring the Deployment Programme developed by the Deployment Manager within the framework of the Common Project (CP1), as per Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/116. This contribution includes monitoring the progress of ENAIRE’s national projects related to CP1 functionalities, as well as coordinating with the SESAR Deployment & Infrastructure Partnership (SDIP) and the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (S3JU). All CP1 implementation projects co-financed by CINEA can be consulted in this document.
South West Functional Airspace Block
Following a long history of collaboration in air traffic management between Spain and Portugal, the South West Functional Airspace Block (SW FAB) was formally established on 17 May 2013 through the signing of an agreement between the two States. The signing of this agreement created a formal framework within which both countries work to establish the most effective measures to achieve the Single European Sky. The SW FAB was thus constituted as one of the nine European Functional Airspace Blocks.
Within this framework of cooperation, significant achievements have been attained, most notably the development of the SW FAB Operational Board Common Plan (SW FAB OB CP), first submitted to the European Commission on 25 November 2013 and updated on an annual basis. This plan constitutes a comprehensive technical and operational compendium of the main projects to be developed within the SW FAB framework, and its level of implementation is also assessed annually.
The SW FAB Performance Plan 2015–2019 (SOWEPP), prepared jointly by Spain and Portugal in compliance with Regulation (EU) No 390/2013, sets out the objectives and associated actions to which the SW FAB is committed. It provides the basis on which the European Commission and the Spanish and Portuguese supervisory authorities (AESA and ANAC) carry out monitoring and oversight of compliance with the objectives, both at FAB level and at national level.
AEFMP Agreement
Within the framework of the AEFMP, multilateral actions are managed among Algeria, Spain, France, Morocco, Portugal, and Tunisia to promote the harmonisation of the provision of communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) services and air traffic management (ATM) within the area of influence of the service providers of these countries. All activities are aligned with the international planning framework established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union. The AEFMP initiative covers the following areas:
- Technical and operational facilitators
- Harmonisation of deployment activities
- System interoperability
- Optimisation of air traffic flows
- System interconnection