PRB Annual Monitoring Report

Annual Monitoring Report 2021 - Spain

Contextual information

National performance plan adopted following Commission Decision (EU) 2022/776 of 13 April 2022

List of ACCs 5

Barcelona ACC
Madrid ACC
Palma ACC
Sevilla ACC
Canarias ACC

No of airports in the scope of the performance plan

≥80’K 6
<80’K 1

Exchange rate (1 EUR=)

2017: 1 EUR
2021: 1 EUR

Share of Union-wide traffic (TSUs) 2021 11.0%

Share of Union-wide en route costs 2021 11.2%

Share en route / terminal costs 2021 87% / 13%

En route charging zone(s)

Spain Continental
Spain Canarias

Terminal charging zone(s)

Spain

Main ANSP

• ENAIRE

Other ANSPs

• FERRONATS
• ANSP EA

MET Providers

• AEMET

Traffic (En route traffic zone)

▪ Spain recorded 1,192K actual IFR movements in 2021, +40% compared to 2020 (854K).

▪ Actual 2021 IFR movements were +1.8% above the plan (1,170K).

▪ Actual 2021 IFR movements represent 55% of the actual 2019 level (2,152K).

▪ Spain recorded 7,390K actual en route service units in 2021, +41% compared to 2020 (5,240K).

▪ Actual 2021 service units were +1.0% above the plan (7,319K).

▪ Actual 2021 service units represent 55% of the actual 2019 level (13,439K).

Safety (Main ANSP)

▪ ENAIRE continued high safety performance in 2021 and maintained the RP3 EoSM targets levels achieved in previous year. ENAIRE implemented continuous monitoring process to ensure maintaining high safety performance.

▪ FERRONATS achieved the RP3 EoSM target in four out of five management objectives with only safety risk management requiring further improvement. Some elements of this area have been already improved up to required level D over 2021. The NSA is confident that the targets will be achieved by the end of RP3.

▪ Spain recorded stable performance with respect to safety occurrences, with higher rate of separation minima infringements and marginally higher rate of runway incursions relative to 2020. The rates for both were above the Union-wide average rates in 2021. Of the airports with more than 80,000 movements, Málaga (LEMG) has the highest rate of RIs at 8.5 per 100,000 movements. ENAIRE should consider looking into the reasons contributing to this rate and take appropriate mitigating actions, if necessary.

▪ Spain uses specific automated safety data recording systems for ACC and TMA sectors, being one of the few ANSPs doing so.

Environment (Member State)

▪ Spain achieved a KEA performance of 3.30% compared to its target of 3.08% and did not contribute positively towards achieving the Union-wide target. KEA worsened by 0.19 p.p. compared to 2020.

▪ The NSA states that the increase in KEA is due to changes in the routes to avoid the ashes caused by the eruption of the volcano in La Palma (September 2021) and new routings in the Agadir FIR (Morocco) that affected planning in the Canaries FIR. However, Spain’s monthly KEA performance in September 2021 remained below that of June and similar to those of July and August of the same year.

▪ Both KEP and SCR slightly decreased in 2021 in comparison to 2020 and are at their lowest values in five years.

▪ The share of CDO flights has decreased in comparison to 2020, but is still higher than pre-pandemic situation. Additional time in terminal airspace has increased by 21% and additional taxi out time has increased by 33%.

Capacity (Member State)

▪ Spain registered 0.09 minutes of average en route ATFM delay per flight during 2021, thus meeting the local breakdown value of 0.12. Following the traffic recovery from July onwards more delays were generated with ATC capacity and weather being the main causes. At the end of the year, delays with ‘other’ causes increased due to the volcanic eruption on La Palma.

▪ Delays should be considered in the context of lower traffic: in Spain, IFR movements in 2021 were 45% lower than in 2019.

▪ Traffic is expected to grow, with 2019 levels likely being reached in 2023 in the high growth scenario or in 2024 in the base growth scenario for both continental and Canarias ACCs. The number of ATCOs in OPS is planned to remain effectively the same in Canarias ACC, with reductions in the numbers planned in the remaining ACCs during RP3.

▪ Delays were highest between July and December, mostly due to ATC Capacity and adverse weather conditions.

▪ The share of delayed flights with delays longer than 15 minutes in Spain decreased by 19.65 p.p. compared to 2020 and was lower than 2019 values.

▪ The yearly total of sector opening hours in Canarias ACC was 22,842, showing a 3.2% increase compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are 18.4% below 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Barcelona ACC was 37,577, showing a 31.6% increase compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are 37.8% below 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Madrid ACC was 61,593, showing a 15.5% increase compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are 40.3% below 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Palma ACC was 31,029, showing a 47.5% increase compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are 19.8% below 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Sevilla ACC was 30,384, showing a 27.7% increase compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are 25.8% below 2019 levels.

▪ Canarias ACC registered 9.62 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 24.7% below 2019 levels. Barcelona ACC registered 13.68 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 12.1% below 2019 levels. Madrid ACC registered 10.12 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 11.4% below 2019 levels. Palma ACC registered 7.15 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 14.4% below 2019 levels. Sevilla ACC registered 9.04 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 13.6% below 2019 levels.

Cost-efficiency (En route/Terminal charging zone(s))

▪ The en route 2020/2021 actual unit cost of Spain Continental was 105.84 €2017, -1.7% lower than the determined unit cost (107.71 €2017). The en route 2020/2021 actual unit cost of Spain Canarias was 99.65 €2017, -5.1% lower than the determined unit cost (104.97 €2017).

▪ The terminal 2020/2021 actual unit cost of Spain was 221.77 €2017, -3.8% lower than the determined unit cost (230.44 €2017).

▪ The en route 2021 actual service units of Spain Continental (6,383K) were in line with the determined (6,370K). The en route 2021 actual service units of Spain Canarias (1,008K) were +6.1% higher than the determined (950K).

▪ In 2021, Spain Continental decreased total costs by -19 M€2017 (-3.3%) compared to determined costs. All cost categories decreased, except depreciation costs. The decrease was mainly due to staff (-11 M€2017, or -3.0%) and other operating costs (-7.3 M€2017, or -7.7%) in ENAIRE. The NSA explained that budgetary limitations and a restrictive expenditure policy have still been applied in 2021.

▪ In 2021, Spain Canarias decreased total costs by -3.6 M€2017 (-3.9%) compared to determined costs. As for Spain Continental, all cost categories have decreased, except depreciation costs. The NSA provided the same explanations as for Spain Continental, since the variations are mainly attributable to ENAIRE.

▪ ENAIRE spent 112 M€2017 in 2021 related to costs of investments, -1.0% less than determined (113 M€2017). The difference was due to a combination of lower en route depreciation costs attributable to a delay in investments (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and slightly lower than planned terminal cost of capital induced by a lower net book value and WACC.

▪ The en route Spain Continental actual unit cost incurred by users in 2020/2021 was 112.68€, while the en route Spain Canarias actual unit cost incurred by users was 87.05€. The terminal actual unit cost incurred by users was 58.80€.