ENAIRE and the Official College of Pilots share knowledge and experience to further strengthen aviation safety

ENAIRE, Spain’s national air navigation service provider, and the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC) have signed a general framework protocol that will lead to operational and safety improvements in air navigation.

ENAIRE’s Director General, Enrique Maurer, and the Dean of COPAC, Carlos San José, signed the protocol, which aims to promote cooperation and the exchange of information and experience in areas relating to flight operations and air navigation in order to improve safety. The agreement runs for two years and will be renewed automatically for further periods of the same length, up to a maximum of 8 years.

The main areas of cooperation are:

• Planning, developing and documenting air navigation studies from the operational perspective of pilots or, where applicable, air traffic controllers. 

• Taking part in and advising on safety studies, risk analyses and safety investigations. 

• Taking part in and advising on the design of flight procedures. 

• Taking part in and advising on work to review the aeronautical information published in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), and subsequently adapting it to the various aeronautical information providers used by airlines.

• Designing, organising and delivering training activities or seminars on matters of common interest.

• Issuing certified technical advisory reports in response to specific technical and operational queries.

Carlos San José, Dean of COPAC, said: “This agreement is particularly significant because it brings together pilots’ operational perspective and ENAIRE’s expertise in air navigation, resulting in more accurate information for professionals and improved safety for air transport users in Spain.”

Enrique Maurer said it was excellent news to be able to work even more closely with COPAC, because “drawing on pilots’ experience and knowledge is essential to improving our service as an air navigation service provider. ENAIRE and COPAC have long enjoyed an excellent relationship, but being able to take that relationship a step further and work even more closely together is great news for both organisations and will ultimately mean better service for the public and the aviation sector.”

COPAC and ENAIRE have worked together on various joint projects for years. One of the most significant is the Observatory for the Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability of Air Operations, set up in 2019, which collects and analyses flight data to identify areas for improvement and promote the wider adoption of best practices among both pilots and controllers. The signing of this new protocol extends that cooperation, further strengthening safety.