ENAIRE, Spain's national air navigation service provider, has placed into service a new VOR/DME system at the Ibiza Airport. This navaid, through its cutting-edge technology, provides guidance and distance information, offering support for arriving and departing aircraft at the Ibiza Airport and Balearic Islands.
ENAIRE upgraded this VOR/DME system, whose identifier is "IBA", as a preventive measure in anticipation of the end of its useful life, given that it has been in service since 1998. The amount invested was 744,000 euros. The model installed is widely used worldwide and meets the most demanding standards of European aviation and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It also incorporates the latest technological features for optimum operation and ease of maintenance.
In addition, given the location of this VOR/DME at the edge of the airport runway, and in compliance with ICAO Annex 14 and Doc. 9157 part 6, frangibility criteria were applied by building a new equipment shed and a support structure for the radiant antenna made of polyester reinforced fibreglass with breakaway joints. This is the most relevant project aimed at complying with the airport's certification requirements.
Navaids are systems that provide information on the aircraft's position by means of radio signals, as well as guidance signals during different phases of flight. These signals allow aircraft to obtain on-board navigation information to streamline operations between airports.
VOR (Very High Frequency Omni-directional Range) devices emit a signal that allows pilots to determine their angular position with respect to the station. The other component of the navaid, called DME (Distance Measurement Equipment), provides information on the distance of the aircraft to the ground station. As a result, a pilot tuning in to the navaid can determine the position of their aeroplane and which direction to fly in to start the approach to the corresponding airport.
