ENAIRE will transfer its Air Control Center in Balears from the airport of Palma to Son Bonet

The new site will allow for the expansion and modernization of facilities, the renovation of equipment and the provision of a separate contingency room to increase the resilience of services.

ENAIRE, the Public Enterprise Entity attached to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, will promote the project of moving the current Balearic Control Center and the regional management units, located at the airport of Palma, to another location at the airfield of Son Bonet.

The transfer is motivated by reasons of operational efficiency and optimization of resources, infrastructure and public investments and will not affect the continuity of the service.

The objective is to expand the spaces for new air navigation equipment, renovate the equipment and facilities and have a contingency room physically separated from the current facilities to increase the resilience of the services.

The technological improvement will facilitate the implementation of new operations in the management of airspace to improve the quality of service and reduce environmental impact. In addition, the action will allow the units of this public entity to adapt to the regulations on energy efficiency and sustainability.

The Balearic regional directorate of ENAIRE, the Air Control Centre and the Airport Control Tower are currently located within the airport complex of Palma, where Aena is undertaking important remodelling works.

This remodeling has a great impact on the accesses to the Balearic Control Center, by reconverting the lands and accesses to this critical and essential infrastructure of the State into “restricted air side”, which implies limitations of access for security reasons.

The necessary adaptation works to achieve the objectives of reform and enlargement, as well as to ensure that the activity of Enaire and Aena can continue to coexist in the same airport complex, would involve significant investments in a very limited location. In this scenario, the national air navigation manager chooses to move.

Investment optimization

That is to say, the commitment to an efficient, sustainable and future investment has motivated the decision to move the current headquarters of the regional direction and the Balears Control Center to another location at the airfield of Son Bonet. The Control Tower will be maintained at the airport of Son Sant Joan.

The decision will materialize through the preparation of the corresponding projects in a context of investment rationality both in the infrastructure and in air navigation equipment and facilities. The relocation process will take place by ensuring continuity of services and maintaining rates that are very competitive compared to equivalent European reference providers.

ENAIRE and Aena are working on a transition plan that will allow them to combine access to the complex with the development of airport works until the operational availability of the new site for the Control Center.

This investment confirms the commitment of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to the strengthening of safety and quality of service, sustainability and efficiency, axes of action that guide air transport and that for the case of Balears is very important, being a fundamental vector of national and international tourism.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the national manager of air navigation in Spain. As a company of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, it provides route control of all flights and overflights through five control centers in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approaches to all airports in the country.

In addition, 46 airports receive the communication, navigation and surveillance services of ENAIRE and maintenance of their air traffic management systems and 21 airports have their air traffic control services, including those with the highest traffic in the country.