At the 12th meeting of the Environmental Monitoring Commission, which took place on Tuesday, AENA has approved spending of more than 800,000 euros for sound insulation in those homes close to the Alicante-Elche airport. This is part of a new procedure...

A potential disaster involving two passenger jets was narrowly avoided on Saturday, as an Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A340-300, flying from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, crossed the runway in the path of a Boeing 767-300, just about to land on arrival fr...

The Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor, has announced that the Spanish government aims to privatise the airport network company AENA, by offloading 49% of the company to the private sector. In a statement, Mata stressed that AENA will continue to b...

Recognising the increasing threat of the high speed train between Madrid and Alicante, Spanish airline Iberia Express has launched a pocket friendly fair on the route, at just 39 euro each way in the peak season between June and September. With 3 dail...

The Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor, has announced that the Spanish airport authority, AENA, will freeze rates in 2015, rather than imposing the anticipated 4.5% increase in fees. The announcement will be good news for airlines, as they will no ...

Spanish emergency services were thrown into a full scale alert on Thursday, when a passenger jet crashed into the sea of the coast of Gran Canaria, and was seen floating along the horizon in a scene reminiscent of the famous water landing on the Hudson River.

However, although looking at the pictures it was easy to see why, the incident was not as dramatic as the teams of rescuers sprung into action to deal with, as it was nothing more than a floating crane being towed along the water.

The emergency coordination centre received numerous calls relating to the sighting, immediately adopting their rehearsed protocol to deal with such incidents. Whereas the emergency crews can only be applauded for their prompt action, it later transpired that the situation was exaggerated, as the initiating call reporting the aircraft ditching in the sea came from the airport itself.

The desperate plea that launched the response came from the airport controllers, reporting a “Boeing 737 in the water off the coast of Jinámar and is floating repeat is floating, it has not sunk. Please mobilize all available means”.

The 112 emergency centre relays the call, “Gran Canaria Airport, a Boeing, please confirm”.

And the perhaps dreaded response from the airport, “Affirmative Boeing 737 floating. Not sunk. Mobilize all available means, please....."

The conversation ends with emergency coordinator relaying the chilling response, “I confirm Airport: all resources are going to the area”.

For its part, the airport authority, AENA, confirms that the airport acted according to the safety protocol, and that the airport fulfilled its actions by doing “what had to be done”, explaining that in the reporting of any potential impact, speed is vital, as is the immediate activation of the emergency response teams, along with search and rescue.

In fact, in the event of a similar situation, there is probably nobody who would rather have rescuers sent to help in a mistaken situation like this, then be on board a crashed plane and be left alone, should the opposite occur, and the controllers think that a crashed aircraft looked like a crane.

Spanish airport authority Aena has completely ruled out the reopening of the old terminal at Alicante-Elche airport for passenger or freight traffic, but has stated an interest in studying commercial projects “that are firm and viable”. Ac...

Spanish airport authority Aena has completely ruled out the reopening of the old terminal at Alicante-Elche airport for passenger or freight traffic, but has stated an interest in studying commercial projects “that are firm and viable”. Ac...

The 2014 summer seasons looks set to offer a welcome relief to the tourism sector in Spain, with an anticipated increase in international visitors to the country, with the Costa Blanca looking to be in a particularly favourable position. The director ...

The coming days will be decisive for the future of the ATM industry in Europe.

Today,Thursday 30th, the Transport Committee of the European Parliament will hold a meeting with the seemingly laudable aim of unifying and clarifying the regulatory framework of the Single European Sky. To get this, the old regulatory framework of the Single European Sky, and those related to the provision of Air Navigation Services will be replaced by a new legislative package, well known as SES 2 + .

Behind of this "good intentions", the new SES 2 + regulatory package is, in fact, the detonator of the fragmentation and privatization of the majority of Air Navigation Services. If SES 2+ goes ahead, only the Air Traffic Services will be appointed by the Member States (as a concession to the member states to avoid fears regarding the national airspace safeguard) while the rest of the services will be subject to unbundling and privatization in such a level, that will be put them completely out from the aeronautical environment.

One of the most serious consequences of this process, accepted by the European Commission, is the loss of over 10,000 jobs across Europe, along with a likely decline in the working conditions of these employees. This fragmentation and multiplication of air navigation services providers will also mean the deprofesionalisation of these essential services in Air Navigation, which will result in loss of quality in the provision of those services, as well as a deterioration of Aviation Safety itself.

Another "battlefront" on these days is regarding to the proposals of the Commission about the performance targets to be achieve by Air Navigation Service Providers during the reference period 2015/2019 (RP2). This are organized in four key areas: Safety, Capacity, Environment and Cost - Efficiency. These objectives are generally described as clearly unrealistic, even bordering the hallucination.

It will put also the Air Navigation Service Providers in serious economic difficulties, because their incomes will decrease by nearly 25 % over current. As you can imagine, like in the previous case, the impact on the quality and safety of Air Navigation Services will be devastating if this requirements goes ahead.
Both initiatives threaten to create the "perfect storm” in the skies of Europe, a storm of unpredictable end, and the first effects will be noticed soon!

Which is the reason of this? Of course, it has a clear relationship to costs reductions. Using the unfairly comparison with the United States FAA, despite the obvious differences, the European Commission is trying to find a way to reduce more and more the Air Navigation Services costs ... at all cost!.

Where is the cost reduction to the Airspace users if an extra charge must be paid to support the extension of the activities of the National Supervisory Authorities?

In other words, multiplication of Air Navigation Services Providers will be allowed in order to save money, but this will lead in more expenses (and more resources) to the NSAs, because they will need money to supervise all of them ... where is the sense on this?
Regarding ATM professionals, this fragmentation will probably lead to the extinction of several groups of professional like ATSEPs in Europe. ATSEPs have a deep knowledge of, not only his professional matters, but also in Aeronautical environment, which is needed to work in safety related tasks. ANSPs need dedicated professionals, not unskilled and unstable workers!

Of course, this must have a response from the Social part.

Today, the ATC EUC, the European Air Traffic Controllers Unions Coordination is celebrating an Action Day. Total and partial strikes and other acts of protest will continue until day 30.

Also tomorrow, January 30, the ETF (European Transport Federation) has also another day of protest, which includes all personnel of the ATM sector (ATSEPs, AIM managers and ATCOs among others). The protests planned by the ETF, which consist of temporary stoppages, press conferences and press releases spread throughout all Europe. Protest will also be located in Brussels, in front of the European Parliament.

All workers in the European ATM Sector supported the creation of the Single European Sky, and the social part has been actively involved both on the legislative development and the also in the concept and research projects at SESAR JU. However, today we cannot accept this attack on the labor conditions of workers in the ATM industry and the future of the respective ANSP's in which are they serving.

The FSAI supports both initiatives, which are aimed doubtless to the same aim:
To stop the SES2 + initiative, who has a dogmatic approach to liberalization of air navigation services, ignoring the public service nature of the ATM Industry. Stop a process that harms workers, both in the quality and quantity of their jobs. Stop a process, which seriously jeopardizes the economic stability of the Air Navigation Service Providers, affecting among others the tourism industry our country.

Stop a process that puts the goals of “cost efficiency" before than Safety, and stop a process in which the human factor should be one of the pillars on which the SES must be supported.

Therefore, the FSAI calls all its members and the rest of AENA workers to express their protest against the European Commission.

All actions will be coordinated both within the IFATSEA Eurogroup, and through direct contacts with trade unions, professional associations and other ATM industry professionals in Europe and in Spain.

FSAI FEDERAL COMMITTEE - SPAIN

To follow live TRAN Committee session on the 30th:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/es/committees/video?event=20140130-0900-COMMITTEE-TRAN