NAV Portugal has reported it managed 917,000 IFR flights in its airspace last year, a 7.5% increase compared to 2023 and a new record high for ANSP.
Despite handling the record volume of air traffic, NAV Portugal also reduced average delays per controlled movement by 14% compared to 2023.
In 2024, NAV Portugal managed to reduce the average delays per controlled IFR movement en route, with this indicator standing at 0.39 minutes.
Pedro Ângelo, CEO of NAV Portugal said, “Despite the significant growth in traffic, we have managed to reduce average delays per IFR movement, ensuring greater fluidity and efficiency in airspace management. This is a considerable achievement and a demonstration of the professionalism and dedication of our team.”
Last year's figures confirm the sustained growth trend in aviation and NAV Portugal's ability to respond to the increased demand without compromising its high standards of safety and efficiency, added the ANSP.
Looking at the 2024 figures in detail, it should be noted that the increase in traffic was significant in the two Flight Information Regions (FIR) under NAV Portugal's responsibility – in the Lisbon FIR, which covers all the airspace of mainland Portugal and the autonomous region of Madeira, 719,180 IFR flights were controlled, 7.0% more than the previous year, for a daily average of 1,965 IFR flights.
In the FIR of Santa Maria, which covers the entire autonomous region of the Azores and a vast area of the North Atlantic, the growth was 9.5%, with 197,897 IFR flights controlled, or an average of 541 flights per day.
Activity at the control towers also grew, particularly in Faro, where traffic rose by 4.8%, with 75,555 IFR flights controlled, and Ponta Delgada, where the increase was 6.9%, to 32,419 IFR flights.