The company has obtained recognition from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the National Air Safety Agency (AESA) for the design of instrument flight procedures, which establish the trajectory of aircraft to prevent collisions.

Ineco has thus become the first Spanish company to obtain the ICAO certificate, which only 14 other companies worldwide have been awarded. The accreditation is valid for three years, for both conventional and performance-based navigation (PBN).

The National Air Safety Agency (AESA) has also certified Ineco as a provider of flight procedure design services, making it the second organisation in Spain, after Enaire, to have received this recognition, which is valid throughout the European Union.

Unmanned aircraft (UAVs, RPAs or drones) are nothing new; these kinds of aircraft have been used as aerial targets to test weapons for more than a century and, indeed, the popular term ‘drone’ was coined by the British military in reference to the sound that these devices made. This is demonstrated by the fact that they were mentioned at the Convention on International Civil Aviation in Chicago, in 1944, which saw the creation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); in fact, Article 8 prohibited the use of unmanned aircraft without the express authorisation of each state.

Spain is one of the most active countries in terms of numbers of AESA-registered operators and is also the world’s tenth largest drone manufacturer

However, it was the evolution of microelectronics that enabled the sector to break into the mass market. Since the beginning of the 21st century, drones have been increasingly used by the military, although it was not until this decade that the technology started to become available for civilian use thanks to its gradual reduction in price. The low cost and ease of use of these small remote-controlled aerial vehicles, usually multicopters, has rapidly increased the popularity of their use in both recreational and professional fields. Growth of the sector in the last five years has been exponential, as shown by the number of drone patents issued. This growth is not surprising given that this technology has myriad applications, especially in imaging and photography, cartography and topography, surveillance and security, but also in agriculture, emergency support, environment, infrastructure maintenance, etc.

Spain is one of the most active countries in terms of numbers of AESA-registered operators and is also the world’s tenth largest drone manufacturer according to the Global Trends of Unmanned Aerial Systems report published by the Danish Technological Institute in 2019. Ineco pioneered the use of this technology for bridge inspections in 2015.

Ineco is actively participating in the SESAR projects related to the development of U-space: TERRA, IMPETUS and DOMUS

First steps

Drones also pose risks, of course, especially if they are operated in residential areas, controlled airspace close to manned aircraft or when drones are flown out of sight of the pilot on the ground. These hazards need to be carefully considered for both recreational and, especially, professional use: they include device failure, loss of control link, in-flight hacking and loss of the navigation or traffic separation systems.

For this reason, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has stipulated that drones with a take-off weight exceeding 150 kg must undergo a certification process, similar to that for manned aircraft, for both manufacture and operation. However, lighter drones, which are not intended to carry people on board, are not subject to such rigorous safety mechanisms. Consequently, their components and manufacturing are less robust, especially in the case of drones manufactured in large production runs, and standards are more appropriate for toys than aircraft.

In order to minimise the risks, a few years ago, the member states of the European Union began to restrict drone operations through regulations. In Spain, Law 18/2014 regulated the use of drones for the first time, limiting their operations to a height of 120 metres above the ground, prohibiting use near airports and controlled traffic regions (CTRs), in cities and areas with high concentrations of people, and allowing only flights within visual line of sight (VLOS), that is, less than 500 metres from the pilot on the ground. And, of course, drones must be remotely piloted (RPAs) and not operate autonomously.

This regulation greatly limited the type and complexity of drone operations, so three years later Royal Decree 1036/2017 was published to make the development of the sector compatible with safe operation. The new standard still allowed for simple operations, but also more complex ones with prior authorisation by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA).

To obtain authorisation, a safety study must be carried out, in addition to specific training and equipment to limit the risk, as well as coordination with those affected, if any, for example, air navigation service providers in the event of operations in controlled airspace. Ineco, in the context of the Ministry of Public Works’ Transport and Infrastructure Innovation Plan, has carried out these kinds of safety studies to obtain the authorisation required to perform complex piloting projects such as the recording of data from radio navigation systems in airports.

European regulations

Operating requirements in different European countries vary widely. To alleviate these regulatory differences, the EU has published a new regulation that divides operations into three categories (open, specific and certified), depending on the complexity of the operation, in order to harmonise requirements in all countries and facilitate the provision of services in any member state.

In short, it is now possible to carry out almost any kind of operation with drones in any environment, but only if operations are not carried out simultaneously. This means that if demand continues to grow as expected, it will be necessary to coordinate flights to maintain safety. To make this great development of drone operations possible, the EU, in its Warsaw Declaration of 2016, agreed on the need to develop the concept of U-space to allow safe operation of multiple drones at low altitude (below 150 metres) and especially in urban environments.

U-space will make it possible to coordinate drone operations so that they can be carried out simultaneously

U-space is a set of services, technologies and procedures to allow the safe and efficient operation of a large number of drones. The conceptual and technological development of these services is being carried out through the Single European Sky ATM Research programme (SESAR), as the EU considers it vital to provide an adequate environment to exploit all of the benefits that drones can bring to society. It will make it possible to coordinate drone operations so that they can be carried out simultaneously. However, the level of coordination will vary depending on the risk and density of this kind of aerial vehicle in the areas in which they are intended to operate; for this reason, the CORUS project has defined different types of airspace for drones: X, simple operations (VLOS) without coordination; and Y, complex operations in simple environments, so they will only require prior coordination of paths through flight plans, and Z, highly complex operations (urban-Zu, airports-Za) that require coordination in real time due to the risks to people and the number of operations.

Ineco is actively participating in SESAR projects related to the development of U-space: it is heading up the TERRA project, which is responsible for defining the ground technologies needed to support the provision of services, is also participating in the IMPETUS projects, whose purpose is to design information systems for the use of drones, and is involved in the DOMUS demonstration project, led by ENAIRE.

EVOLUTION OF THE SECTOR IN SPAIN

Activities with RPAS

Focal points of wildlife attraction (water points, landfills, dovecotes, etc.), favourable habitat environments in airports and their adjacent areas, aspects related to bird migration or any other circumstances that encourage the presence and concentration of wildlife in and around airports must be properly managed to prevent conflicts with aircraft operations.

Aena, as an airport manager, implements measures at its aerodromes to monitor and control wildlife populations in order to reduce the risk of animal strikes. These are implemented in accordance with the regulations of technical guides produced by the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA), in particular CERA-09-GUI-001 for the preparation of Airport Manual AUP-17-ITC-113 Preparation of wildlife and habitat studies in airport environments and CSA-14-IT-025-1.0 Special technical instruction for the drafting of airport wildlife strike risk studies.

Ineco has produced information guides describing the most common birds for Aena’s staff at the airports of El Hierro and Jerez (pictured). / PHOTO_ MIKEBERT4 (FLICKR)

Airports and heliports, in turn, manage risks by implementing the guidelines in these guides, as established by Procedure 4.12 of the Airport Manual and in the respective wildlife control programmes. The scope of use includes aerodromes covered by Commission Regulation (EU) No 139/2014 of 12 February 2014, which establishes aerodrome requirements and administrative procedures in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 of the Parliament and of the Council, and by Royal Decree 862/2009 of 14 May, which approves the technical standards for the design and operation of aerodromes for public use and the certification and verification regulation for airports and other aerodromes for public use.

In order to manage wildlife, it is necessary to implement methodologies that provide data for understanding basic population dynamics, habitat selection and movements within the airport

Within this context, since April 2017, Ineco has provided technical assistance to Aena for the implementation and monitoring of programmes that offer different alternatives for wildlife population management at airports. The company has also drafted training documents to help staff at certain airports to identify species and improve the reporting of sightings of birds that could interfere with air operations.

Wildlife monitoring methodologies

In order to manage wildlife populations, it is essential to implement methodologies that provide data for understanding basic population dynamics, habitat selection and wildlife movements, mainly of birds, within the airport. Ineco’s technical assistance includes the implementation of methodologies for the monitoring of wildlife based on basic parameters related to abundance, density, distribution, flows and sampling of focal points of attraction in order to assess their significance in terms of potential risk of collisions with aircraft. Census methodologies for birds and mammals are currently being designed in compliance with AESA’s instructions. The idea is to carry out repeatable and comparable standardised samplings over time to enable analysis of the evolution of animal populations and determination of wildlife flows/movements that could affect operations.

Since 2017, Ineco has been providing technical assistance to Aena to implement and monitor programmes that offer different alternatives for wildlife population management at airports

The target animal groups are diverse and their significance varies depending on the airport, but they are essentially birds and mammals. Mammals may pose a risk to operations as in the case of ungulates (roe deer and wild boar) or may cause strikes because they themselves constitute focal points of attraction by representing a food source for other animals such as birds of prey. This is the case with lagomorphs –small herbivorous mammals such as hares and rabbits– a group on which work is being carried out to develop methods of monitoring and control in places with this type of problem, through standardised censuses and population control protocols.

Habitat management

To a large extent, control of wildlife at airports involves adequate habitat management. Airport habitats should be as unattractive as possible to wildlife. It is important to identify elements that attract wildlife, such as plant species that encourage nesting, feeding and shelter, the presence of roosting spaces, puddles etc. Different technical notes have also been developed regarding the application of new vegetation cover using hydroseeding or, for example, responses to airports about the suitability of the implementation of certain vegetation cover in the airport environment, analysing its suitability and proposing alternative crops that are less attractive because of reduced palatability or method of cultivation.

Monitoring and management of lagomorph populations

The presence of lagomorphs can cause various problems, from damage to infrastructure due to burrow digging to broken wiring or creating foreign object damage (FOD) due to animals being run over by vehicles or aircraft taxiing on the runway. These prey species can also themselves be a focal point of attraction for predatory species that pose a risk to operations, such as birds of prey. Standardised methodologies are currently being developed to monitor lagomorph populations where this wildlife group is identified as the protagonist of risk, and management plans are being implemented to adapt to the population dynamics of these species in order to reduce their density on the air side of airports. Other proposals include the capture of animals during periods of the year in which successful reproduction decreases, with the ultimate goal of causing a negative population trend; management of crops in airports that require it to reduce habitat suitability; management of burrows by ploughing; and new methods of capture when needed.

Ineco works on improving lagomorph monitoring and control systems at the affected airports. / PHOTO_ARTHUR CHAPMAN (FLICKR)

Nothing in an airport is superfluous. Everything is controlled and that is how it should be because, although it impossible to guarantee absolute safety, risks can be eliminated or mitigated to an acceptable level without causing injury to people or damage to property. Aeronautical safety studies are designed precisely to consider each and every one of these cases in order to identify, prevent and minimize any risk of accident or incident at airports, either on the land side or on the airside. Thanks to this work done by the entire aeronautical community, today’s world air transport has very high levels of safety, and is constantly reviewed through an ongoing process of hazard identification and risk management.

The rapid development of new technologies introduces factors that did not previously need to be taken into consideration. The advance in business models is focused on the construction of increasingly large aircraft that must operate at airports with all safety guarantees. These constraints generate added difficulty to maintain the quality standards that have been achieved. This is a constant effort, and in many cases it is necessary to propose alternatives, for example, aeronautical safety studies that guarantee an equivalent level of safety.

In general, these studies will be used in cases where the correction of a deviation is not feasible or is technically, operationally, environmentally or economically excessive, and the safety degradation can be overcome by means of procedures that offer reasonable, practical solutions.

The airport operator, airlines and air navigation providers have their own safety management systems, but it is of little use if each group pursues its own objectives in a way that is not coordinated with the other agents involved in the operation. The different safety management systems have to be integrated to form part of an interlocking system in which all pieces operate in a synchronized manner.

The levels of safety guaranteed by global air transport today represent an achievement based on the determination and efforts of the aviation community as a whole

International regulations

In the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944), also known as the Chicago Convention, the main rules of aeronautical law were laid down in order to achieve adequate safety in air transport: at the end of World War II it was important to review the international agreements on civil aviation in a period of consolidation and development of the world aviation sector, and commercial aviation in particular.

The Convention was the seed of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations created that same year to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation around the world. The ICAO established, and continues to establish, the necessary standards and regulations for aviation safety, efficiency and environmental protection worldwide. Strengthening the safety of the global air transport system is its primary objective. The ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan (1998) was developed to reduce the number of accidents regardless of the number of flights.

As the increase in air traffic leads to an increase in the risk of accidents, a progressive improvement in safety management has become necessary in order to maintain adequate safety levels. Its objective is to progressively reduce the number of accidents regardless of the growth of air traffic, taking into account that:

• No human activity or human-designed system can be totally free of risks and errors.
• The elimination of all accidents (and serious incidents) is impossible.
• Failures will continue to occur, despite the most successful prevention efforts.
• Risks and errors are acceptable in an implicitly secure system, provided they are under control.

The levels of safety that global air transport guarantees today represent an achievement based on the determination and efforts of the aviation community as a whole. Safety must be a dynamic process that is adapted constantly, while maintaining the objectives achieved with the goal of achieving the lowest possible risk, without forgetting the progressive adaptation to the changes that will be taking place.

TRAINING SEMINARS. In 2012, Ineco gave a Safety Seminar with Aena Internacional in Mexico. In the centre of the photo, from left to the right, Sara García Ramos, mathematician and author of this article, and Rosario González, aeronautical technical engineer, both from Ineco.

In this regard, the ICAO document Procedures for Air Navigation Services –Aerodromes (PANS-Aerodromes) (Doc. 9981), first edition 2015–, details the operational procedures to be applied by aerodrome operators to ensure safety, especially when it is not possible to fully comply with the required technical specifications.

It is important to note that the cost (economic, operational, environmental, etc.) of any action must be balanced against the safety benefit, so as to generate the least possible socio-economic impact without compromising the equivalent level of safety.

According to Article 15 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, all aerodromes open to public use under the jurisdiction of a Contracting State must provide uniform conditions for all aircraft of all other Contracting States. Likewise, Articles 28 and 37 of the same Convention provide that each State shall provide in its territory airports, other air navigation facilities and services in accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) developed by ICAO. Airport operators must therefore have an airport certificate in order to be able to operate, and in the case of newly built airports or where new runways are to be put into service, this is a prerequisite before opening to traffic. The loss or modification of the certificate will result in the loss or immediate modification of the authorization to admit air transport. The certificate accredits the ability of both the infrastructure and the operator to carry out air transport operations.

In Spain, the Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) is the aviation authority responsible for granting the certificate and monitoring any problems or deviations. Within the required documentation, are the aeronautical safety studies whose purpose varies from the justification of the fulfilment of the requirements to the evaluation of the deviations detected.

Ineco has been carrying out this type of study in Spain for over 10 years, working in air navigation, for all airports and heliports in the Aena network, as well as at other international airports in countries such as Mexico, Israel and Italy. Also, during this period Ineco has supported the certification processes at the airports and heliports of the Aena network – guaranteeing results and procedures.

Safety must be a dynamic process that is adapted constantly with the goal of achieving the lowest possible risk levels

Aeronautical safety studies

The objective of an Aeronautical Safety Study is to try to analyse an aeronautical problem, to determine possible solutions and select the most acceptable option, without adversely affecting safety. In short, the purpose of these studies is to:

• Detect the causes of the problem and evaluate the possible impact on the safety level.
• Present alternative means to ensure the aircraft operations safety.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of each alternative.
• Recommend procedures to act on the causes and/or diminish the effect or the occurrence of the consequences.

To achieve these objectives, the studies are based on a technical analysis. Technical analyses seek to justify deviations based on the possibility of achieving an equivalent level of security by other means. In addition, these analyses are generally applied in situations in which the cost of correcting issues that violate standards is excessive, but the negative effects on safety can be overcome by procedures that offer practical and reasonable solutions.

An aeronautical study may be conducted when aerodrome standards cannot be strictly met as a result of development or extension. This study is most frequently undertaken during the planning of a new airport or during the certification of an existing aerodrome.

Mathematical studies to determine the probability of an event

Risk analysis can be focused qualitatively or quantitatively involving mathematical models and input by groups of experts who contribute their knowledge to the process.

Quantitative models are a set of analytical techniques based on mathematical arguments used to assign probability of occurrence to a given fault or event in order to evaluate the level of risk associated with a given operation.

Runway excursion is the most frequent and catastrophic accident with respect runway operation. For this reason, a specific Mathematical model for the assessment of runway excursion probabilities has been developed for this type of incident.

Ineco has been carrying out this type of study in Spain for over 10 years, working for all airports and heliports in the Aena network, as well as in other international airports in countries such as Mexico, Israel and Italy

Severity and Probability Metrics

The accident database’s statistical model is based on the collection and processing of accident data in order to establish the quantitative relationships necessary to evaluate the safety of a system. The creation of a database with statistics on accidents, incidents and events and their analysis, makes it possible to determine the probability of occurrence for the most frequent events in an airport.

The tables show some examples as a guide, taking into account the international ICAO standard, severity classification matrix and probability classification matrix.

Severity classification matrix.

Probability classification matrix.

Ineco technicians, certified by AESA, have demonstrated the applications of the company’s drone at the Salobral viaduct on the Madrid Valladolid high-speed line. The presentation last summer served to introduce this new product offered by the company to complement and improve structural inspection works.