Spanish Government authorises the tendering of a €27.9 million contract to modernise air traffic control in Spain

Today, the Council of Ministers authorised the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to tender a €27.9 million contract (excluding VAT) to implement a new version of the Automated Air Traffic Control System (SACTA). 

The contract will enable further operational improvements to the air traffic management system. The aim is to improve data use and operational efficiency, further enhance safety through new features, ensure that the system evolves in compliance with the various European regulations, and incorporate the latest technologies available on the market, among other measures. 

This investment, to be made through ENAIRE, will allow Spain’s national air navigation service provider to implement, over a 36-month period, the second integration phase of its automated air navigation system, in the version known as SACTA-iTEC 5.01. 

This new version will provide the basis for ENAIRE to modernise the technological architecture of its air traffic control system and introduce new features such as silent coordination via the system. It will also enable four-dimensional trajectory management, new planning features with conflict-detection aids and compliance with EU regulations affecting the system, all within the iTEC Alliance’s collaborative development environment.

Towards European integration

The contract forms part of the project to integrate the current Automated Air Traffic Control System (SACTA) with the joint development being carried out by the providers that make up the iTEC Alliance, with the aim of creating a common product known as SkyNex. The aim is for this system upgrade to be deployed at ENAIRE control centres from 2029.

The iTEC Alliance comprises eight air navigation service providers: Norway (Avinor), Spain (ENAIRE), Germany (DFS), the Netherlands (LVNL), the United Kingdom (NATS), Canada (NAV CANADA), Lithuania (Oro Navigacija) and Poland (PANSA), with Indra as technology partner to all members of the Alliance.

SACTA-iTEC 5 will be the future version of Spain’s integrated air traffic management system. While iTEC SkyNex provides the common product developed by the European iTEC Alliance, SACTA-iTEC 5 will integrate it with ENAIRE’s own systems, services and functions. The new version will feature a single common platform for all control units and all phases of flight (aerodrome, approach and en-route), fully interoperable for the next decade and serving as a model for Europe. 

During the first implementation phase, which has already been completed, components of the national SACTA system were integrated for the first time with iTEC SkyNex components, establishing a technical baseline to validate initial operability, identify dependencies and define the actions needed to complete integration in subsequent phases. This phase provided a preliminary integrated environment and key information for planning the current Phase 2 covered by this contract. 

The second integration phase expands the functional and technical scope, addressing the full integration of iTEC SkyNex components into SACTA. This phase is essential to ensure continuity of the project and that the systems reach the technical maturity required for subsequent verification, validation, deployment and operation. Deployment of this system will mark a milestone in the automation and digital transformation of air traffic management in Spain.