ENAIRE successfully coordinates Europe’s first long-distance stratospheric flight operation in the Canary Islands

ENAIRE, Spain’s national air navigation service provider, and the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) have made possible the first high-altitude, long-range stratospheric flight of a HAPS (High Altitude Platform System) platform in Europe. The operation was successfully carried out last December at the stratoport of the Fuerteventura Technology Park, located within Canary Islands airspace, which is managed by ENAIRE’s Control Centre in the Archipelago.

This milestone marks a significant step forward in national air traffic management by integrating operations involving large unmanned vehicles (HAPS) with commercial aviation, while ensuring the highest standards of safety and operational efficiency at all times.

The operation is part of the ISSEC project, led by Telespazio Ibérica (Leonardo Group) together with Pegasus Aero Group under a temporary joint venture. The project aims to procure R&D services focused on the development of innovative solutions in the fields of biodiversity, security, emergencies and other public services, through the use of unmanned aerial platforms. The technical execution of the flight involved the collaboration of the Advanced Centre for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) as the authorised operator, demonstrating the capability of Spanish industry and institutions to lead the European aerospace sector. To enable the take-off of the Apus Neo 18 aircraft, developed by MIRA Aerospace, ENAIRE air traffic controllers deployed specific coordination procedures, supervising the ascent of the platform.

The orange and green areas are those coordinated by ENAIRE for the test

Technology in support of emergency services 

The objective of these flights, which also include the deployment of a free-floating balloon operated by TAO, is to validate the use of stratospheric platforms as critical support tools. ENAIRE supports the development of these technologies, which will make it possible to transmit data to the Geoinformation Centre in real time, optimising the response of emergency services in the fight against forest fires and in disaster management.

Through this operation, ENAIRE reaffirms its commitment to the development of the Higher Airspace Operations (HAO) concept, positioning Spain and the Canary Islands at the forefront of aeronautical innovation in Europe.

Header image: [Aeronave Apus Neo 18, MIRA Aerospace].