Summary of capacity performance
Spain experienced an increase in traffic from 1 192k flights in 2021 to 1 983k flights in 2022. However, traffic levels were still below the 2 152k flights in 2019.
In 2022, Spain had 598k minutes of ATFM delay - 68% attributed to ATC capacity; 24% attributed to adverse weather and 7% attributed to ‘Other’.
There were an additional 63k minutes of en route ATFM delay originating in the Spanish ACCs that were re-attributed to adjacent ANSPs via the NM post operations delay attribution process:
- 43k minutes of en route ATFM delay were re-attributed to DSNA, according to the NMB agreement for eNM/S22 measures, to ameliorate capacity shortfalls in Reims ACC.
- 20k minutes of delay were re-attributed to NAV Portugal due to implementation of the TOPSKY ATM system in Portugal.
- A further 15k minutes of delay originated in Spain when airspace was closed due to the possible re-entry of a Chinese space rocket on 4th November 2022.
NSA’s assessment of capacity performance
KPI1: the en route capacity target has not been met.
By 2022 the minutes reallocated by network measures (eNM/22), Topsky implementation and approved Post-Ops cases have been taken into account, therefore the actual value for 2022 is 0,30 instead of 0,34. None of the reallocated minutes of delay are related to the exceptional event relating to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in the case of Spain.
In the first part of the year 2022, the delay was more moderate and traffic had not exceeded pre-pandemic levels in all ACCs.
From July onwards, with the reactivation of traffic and the development of the high season in most ACCs, more delay minutes were generated, concluding the year with their non-compliance.
Delays were mainly caused by C-ATC Capacity (69% of the 2022 total) and W-Weather (25% of the 2022 total).
At GCCC [Canarias ACC], the splitting of the GCCCRNE sector since July, whose transition process has been extended until the end of the year, is expected to improve operations from 2023 onwards.
At LECB [BarcelonaACC], weather accounts for almost half of the delay. In LECM and LECS, most of the delay is due to C-ATC Capacity.
In LECP [Palma ACC], the delay is mainly concentrated in Jul-Aug due to C-ATC Capacity. In Oct-Nov there was some impact due to the implementation of Topsky in Portugal in GCCC, LECM and LECS [Sevilla ACC].
Monitoring process for capacity performance
The AESA Monitoring Process continues to monitor this indicator on a monthly basis taking into account the different causes of delay, since the incentive system implemented for RP3 considers a mechanism modulated by causes of delay. The evolution of the attributable and non-attributable delay causes is monitored in order to apply the incentive mechanism and to identify the reasons in the event of non-compliance.
The alert mechanism continues to be active to warn, months before the end of the year, of possible non-compliance. In 2022 this mechanism was activated to report to the Commission the expected non-compliance of this indicator, which finally occurred.
Capacity planning
The NOP Recovery Plan was the NOP structured plan adapted since 2020 (COVID-19 crisis), updated every week, initially covering an outlook of four weeks and later reconverted into the NOP Rolling Seasonal Plan covering an outlook of six weeks. The time horizon and frequency of the updates is regularly reviewed.
Every week ENAIRE updated data to the plan (planned sector openings, maximum possible sector openings, sector capacity reductions if any, availability of support to operations staff, additional information -e.g. other constraints to be highlighted- and special events and major projects). The plan is a living document regularly updated and published by NM in order to be adapted to the changed conditions of the Air Navigation Service.
Also a NOP for the 2022-2026 period was elaborated. This is the current status of the main projects included in ESPP3 planned for 2022 (included in the NOP too) and some additional information over the planned projects for 2023:
• ALL ACCs: ATFCM measures (continuous); Optimized sector configurations and sector capacities (continuous); iTEC 4.1 - TTM, Complexity Manager, MTCD and Stripless En-route (ongoing); contained ATCOS increase (in progress); IMPACT V2 - Flows complexity monitoring (concluded in 2023); iCMON - Conformance monitor (planned 2023); STAM (planned 2023).
• PALMA ACC: Split Menorca - MXX (completed in 2023).
• CANARIAS ACC: FRA (ongoing); Morocco interface (ongoing); Splitting of NE sector and cluster; RNAV1 in GCTS - NIVARIA (planned 2023).
• MADRID ACC: FRA (ongoing).
• SEVILLA ACC: FRA (ongoing); Improvement of operation mode TWR-APP LEMG (Ongoing); MIDAS - Málaga APP - impacting en-route (planned 2023); Redesign of MAR sector - MIDAS - SEVILLA (planned 2023).
• BARCELONA ACC: FRA (Ongoing); Splitting of Balse Sector (completed in 2023).
Application of Corrective Measures for Capacity (if applicable)
While in LECB {Barcelona ACC] the delay due to W-Weather accounted for 45% of the total in the ACC and therefore a very significant contribution, in LECM [Madrid ACC] and LECS [Sevilla ACC] the delay due to C-ATC Capacity accounted for 79% and 87%, respectively.
Compared to 2019, the high records of delay in LECP [Palma ACC] and LECS in summer stand out, these are the ACCs that have reached pre-pandemic traffic levels more quickly.
• LECB: Some action as planned LECBBAS split with significant contribution to increase capacity in this bottleneck sector, has not yet taken in place.
• GCCC [Canarias ACC]: The GCCCRNE sector split introduced in July 2022 has not yet been put to use in Canarias’ high season (November to February), but it is though this project will provide important capacity increase in Canarias.
• LECM: The ZAR-TER split will improve the situation, but further work will be required to increase capacity in the upper sectors. A possible way forward being evaluated is the creation of super-high sectors in all the ACC.
• LECP : Some action as split of LECPMXX have not yet been implemented but it will provide a significant increase capacity in the bottleneck sector in LECP.
• LECS: Is still pending on implementation the redesign of the sectors feeding Malaga (MA4 and neighbouring airspaces), together with new approach procedures (trombone-based) for LEMG, will provide a very important benefit in terms of capacity both in Sevilla ACC and in Malaga airport approach.
Summer 2022 was more complex than 2019 and and on-time performance was poor. In particular noted that LECS and LECP were two of the few ACCs in which traffic exceeded the pre-pandemic levels. Flight, airport and air traffic operations all suffered from volatility of demand, in general.
Weather regulations were particularly volatile in 2022. And in the case of Spain the percentage of the annual ATFM delay due to weather increased over the 2019 percentage value of the whole annual ATFM delay figures. Other circumstances could be new distribution of traffic flows due to changes in the en-route unit rates and to the resumption of flight traffic to and from Morocco after their alleviation of COVID measures.
NSA recommendations to the ANSP to rectify situation
Endorse ENAIRE to continue implementing the capacity plan to achieve the objectives of delay and better air traffic management, focusing on projects that have an impact on increasing available capacity as well as implementing projects that improve operations to handle increases in traffic above pre-pandemic levels.
Capacity projects already achieved by ANSP include:
Continued effort to increase staffing levels and/or availability in Madrid ACC and Barcelona ACC;
Continued alignment of traffic demand and sector opening times in Madrid ACC and Barcelona ACC;
Revision of sector capacities in Madrid ACC and Barcelona ACC;
Network weather mitigation measures in Barcelona ACC.
Capacity projects that remain ongoing include:
France / Spain airspace restructuring project and re-sectorisation in Barcelona ACC and Madrid ACC [2022-2024];
Participation in the Operational Excellence Program of EUROCONTROL (Barcelona ACC and Madrid ACC) [2022-2023].
Additional comments from NSA
AESA is aware that there is a certain risk of not meeting the performance target in 2023 given the degree of seasonality that exists in some units. The various monitoring activities will continue, monthly and annual monitoring, as well as periodic monitoring of the assignment of delay causes in order to know the evolution of the KPIs and the specific characteristics of each unit.
This results in a better knowledge of the behaviour of the indicators and a fluid communication and coordination with the ANSP. Additionally, AESA is monitoring the cases reported by our ANSP through the Post-OPS performance adjustment process, collaborating with both ANSPs and other stakeholders with the aim of deepening the analysis of the cases.
As the year progresses and especially as the summer season unfolds, with the existing follow-up mechanisms thanks to various monitoring and alert system in force, if this risk of non-compliance materializes, it will be notified to the Commission as established in the Regulation (EU) 2019/317.