Performance scheme and safety oversight

Description

Within EASA’s Directorate for Air Navigation (DNA), there is regular monitoring and review of the performance and certain safety aspects of air navigation services and training organisations.

The proposal is also made for air navigation charges for both air navigation services subject to the performance and charging scheme regulated by the European Commission and those that fall outside this framework.

In the area of performance and charging, EASA, as the national supervisory authority, prepared the Draft Performance Plan of Spain for the fourth reference period 2025-2029 (ESPP4), which received the Commission Decision on the consistency of the performance targets included in the draft plan submitted by Spain on 19 May 2025.

• Spain’s performance plan for the fourth reference period (RP4) 2025-29.

Performance and pricing schemes

In accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/317, EASA is responsible for the preparation of the proposed performance plan for the fourth reference period (2025-2029) and for the regular monitoring of the performance targets contained therein.

In accordance with the above Regulation and taking into account Commission Implementing Decision (EU) No 2024/1688 of 12 June 2024, EASA prepared the draft performance plan of Spain for the fourth reference period 2025-2029 (ESPP4) setting out the performance targets for air navigation services provided in Spain and the guidelines of the action plans to comply with them.

That proposal was assessed by the European Commission, which adopted Decision (EU) No 2025/1063 on the consistency of the performance targets included in that performance plan on 19 May 2025. In accordance with Article 16(a) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/317, this Performance Plan was adopted by Spain by Resolution of the General Secretariat for Air and Maritime Transport on 5 September 2025 and, subsequently published by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, is available here.

With regard to the implementation of Spain's performance plan and the achievement of the objectives contained therein, AESA regularly monitors the performance of air navigation services. Within this framework, the main activities carried out are the following:

• Regular monitoring of key performance indicators and monitoring indicators for key performance areas: safety, capacity, environment and cost-effectiveness.
• Report to the Commission on the performance of air navigation services and the achievement of the performance targets of the key performance indicators on an annual basis.

Key performance indicators by area of performance monitored are:

• Key safety performance area, assessed by the key performance indicator safety management effectiveness (EoSM – Effectiviness of Safety Management). This indicator assesses the maturity of the safety management systems of air navigation service providers, using self-assessment questionnaires developed by the Commission and verified annually by EASA and subsequently by EASA and the PRB. The supporting material for this key indicator containing the aforementioned questions is:
  • EASA Guidance Material for the implementation and measurement of the safety key performance indicator (SKPI) and safety performance indicators (SPIs)
• Key capacity performance area, assessed by KPIs: minutes of en-route ATFM delay (ERD) and minutes of arrivals ATFM delay (TAD). These measures provide an indication of the ATFM ground delays attributable to en route air navigation services and terminal and airport air navigation services respectively.
• Environmental key performance area, assessed by the real trajectory horizontal average en route flight efficiency (KEA) key performance indicator. The measure provides an indication of the efficiency of the en-route flight.
• Key performance area of cost-efficiency, assessed by the key performance indicators of the year-on-year change in the “determined unit cost” of en route and terminal air navigation services.

In accordance with the charging scheme, AESA coordinates the reporting of real costs, exempted costs and the establishment of en route and terminal air navigation tariffs, on an annual basis.

The application route tariffs are updated by Ministerial Order amending the fifth paragraph of Annex I to Decree 1675/1972 of 26 June 1972 approving the tariffs to be applied for the use of the network of aids to air navigation (Eurocontrol) and amending the interest rate for late payment of these tariffs.

Approximation fees are adopted by updating Article 22 of Law 24/2001 of 27 December 2001 on fiscal, administrative and social measures.

The applicable legislation is as follows:

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/317 of 11 February 2019 establishing a performance and charging scheme in the single European sky and repealing Implementing Regulations (EU) No 390/2013 and (EU) No 391/2013.
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1688 of 12 June 2024 setting the Union-wide performance targets for the air traffic management network for the fourth reference period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029
• Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1063 of 19 May 2025 on the consistency of the performance targets included in the draft performance plan submitted by Spain pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council with the Union-wide performance targets for the fourth reference period of the performance and charging scheme in the single European sky.

Safety oversight

In AESA, within the Economic Supervision and Performance service of the Directorate of Airports and Air Navigation, the economic supervision of certified suppliers that provide their air navigation services in Spanish territory is carried out, as well as of training organizations, in accordance with the following applicable regulations:

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 of 1 March 2017 laying down common requirements for providers of air traffic management/air navigation services and other air traffic management network functions and their oversight, repealing Regulation (EC) No 482/2008 and Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1034/2011, (EU) No 1035/2011 and (EU) 2016/1377, and amending Regulation (EU) No 677/2011.

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/340 of 20 February 2015 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures related to air traffic controller licences and certificates.
• Royal Decree 1133/2010 of 10 September 2010 regulating the provision of aerodrome flight information service (AFIS).

Initially, during the certification process to be eligible to be a provider of services certifiable by AESA, it is verified that the economic capacity is available to provide the service in conditions of security and continuity, through business and annual plans.

Subsequently, and once the certificate has been obtained, continuous supervision is carried out, by which it is verified that the suppliers comply with, and will be able to comply with, their financial obligations, in a way that guarantees the economic viability of the activity they carry out and shows that they have sufficient capacity to carry out that activity and can ensure the continuity of those activities in accordance with national and European regulations, in addition to verifying that air navigation service providers have adequate insurance coverage against responsibilities that may arise from current legislation.

To this end, within the aforementioned regulatory framework, the Economic and Performance Supervision Service carries out the following regulatory control inspections on certified suppliers on an annual basis, which are classified in the following blocks:

• Verification of compliance with the financial obligations of suppliers, as well as their solvency within the framework of the Inspections of Economic-Financial Requirements, Economic-Financial Requirements of ATC Training and AFIS Training.
• Verification of the provision of services in an open and transparent manner by the provider, the definition of the authority, obligations and responsibilities of the responsible holders of the posts and the coverage of the responsibilities derived from the execution of their tasks within the framework of the Inspection of Organizational Requirements.
• Verification of the planning and notification of the activities carried out during the planned and/or ongoing year within the framework of the Annual and Business Plan Inspections, and of the Annual Report resulting from said planning.