Source: NAV Portugal

It has been the professionalism, competence and qualification of a team of men and women that has made possible to face the enormous challenges it has faced and will continue to do in the years to come.

Along the way, it has overcome such storms as 9/11, global economic crisis, bird flu, rise in oil prices, COVID-19 pandemic, and, more recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the economic, political, and social repercussions of this war, evolution of which is still unpredictable.

Nevertheless, it has been, as we say today, resilient. And as proof of this, because the future of a company is also built from its past, we could highlight some of the many milestones that have made it grow, that have made it stand out as a reference ANSP and allow us to fill with pride all those who firmly believe that NAV Portugal is the legacy of those who have integrated and still integrate it:

1999 – NAV Portugal foundation;

1999 – Operationalization of numerous systems (e.g. TWRATM Faro and Porto) to overcome year 2000 bug;

2001 – Entry into operation of the Lisbon (LISATM) and Santa Maria (SATL) RIV’s Airspace Management Systems;

2005 – Certification in NP EN ISO 9001, and later NP EN ISO 14001;

2006 – Radars installed in Faro and Santa Maria;

2008 – New ACC Operations Room (CWPs and equipment);

2009 – Creation of the Free Route Airspace in Lisbon’s FIR – pioneer concept in Europe; 2009 – Implementation of Multilateration;

2011 – Operationalization of the SATL version with new functionalities (RVSM -, ADS-C, CPDLC and ADS-B reinforcement) and operationalization of the ATM system (SATL-T at Ponta Delgada Airport Control Tower);

2018 – NAV Portugal joins COOPANS, alliance of air navigation service providers;

2019 – Launch of the TOPLIS Project: NAV moves forward to upgrade ACC’s air traffic control system;

2021 – New Santa Maria’s OCC Ops Room is launched;

2022 – TOPSKY launch and migration to the new ACC Ops Room;

During his speech to celebrate NAV Portugal’s anniversary at Lisbon’s Air Traffic Control Centre, CEO Pedro Ângelo stressed that “NAV’s challenge is to maintain the company’s success for at least another 24 years. To set new goals, new objectives – including the enhancement of human resources for the current year – is the path that this Board of Directors is working on”.

NAV Portugal’s anniversary comes just one month after the successful conclusion of the deployment of the new TOPSKY Air Traffic Control system, a project that was the outcome of 5 years of work by a large multidisciplinary team from the organization.