Source: NAV Portugal
NAV Portugal controlled 917,077 IFR flights in Portuguese airspace in 2024, an increase of 7.5 per cent compared to 2023, and a new annual high. 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.
In 2024, NAV Portugal managed to reduce the average delays per controlled IFR movement en route, with this indicator standing at 0.39 minutes, a 14 per cent reduction compared to 2023. This reduction was achieved in a context of record levels of traffic, which is a milestone worth highlighting, says Pedro Ângelo, CEO of NAV Portugal:
“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.”
Traffic by Region
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 per cent, 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 per cent, with 75,555 IFR flights controlled, and Ponta Delgada, where the increase was 6.9 per cent, to 32,419 IFR flights.