Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority has awarded an €11 million ($12.9 million) contract to a consortium led by EFA Ventures to modernize flight-navigation procedures and aeronautical data at airports across the country, part of a broader effort to bring Greece’s aviation infrastructure in line with European Union standards.
The contract, dated July 17, was awarded to a consortium of Greek aerospace and defense-services company EFA Ventures and ENAV Aeronautical Services, part of Italy’s air-navigation services sector. The project calls for the design, assessment, inspection and validation of 191 Performance Based Navigation procedures, known in the aviation industry as PBN, as well as the review and redesign of 187 conventional instrument-flight procedures.
The work will also include an extensive update of data on natural and man-made obstacles around Greek airports, information that is critical to the safe design of aircraft arrival, departure and approach routes.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ
The €11.027 million contract is divided roughly evenly between two areas of work. About €5.41 million, including value-added tax, is allocated to obstacle mapping covering terminal areas at 29 airports and areas within the perimeter fences of 24 airports. The remaining €5.62 million covers flight-procedure design and redesign, safety assessments and validation.
The exceptions of Rhodes and Thessaloniki
The project comes as Greece seeks to upgrade the quality and reliability of the aeronautical information used by its aviation system. According to the contract documentation, the country’s existing obstacle-data database doesn’t meet European Union requirements for accuracy, resolution and integrity under EU aviation regulations. Rhodes and Thessaloniki are exceptions, after data for the two airports was recently collected and verified.
Performance Based Navigation allows aircraft to fly routes based on defined navigation capabilities rather than relying solely on conventional ground-based navigation aids. The approach can enable more precise flight paths and, depending on airport and airspace conditions, improve operational efficiency and airspace management.
The work is expected to be carried out airport by airport, according to priorities set by the Greek Civil Aviation Authority, and must be completed within 36 months of the contract signing.
Under the agreement, the consortium will receive an interest-bearing advance equal to 50% of the contract’s pretax value after providing the required bank guarantee. The remainder will be paid following final acceptance of the contracted work. EFA Ventures also provided a €366,600 performance guarantee through Euler Hermes Hellas, equivalent to 4% of the estimated pretax contract value.
EFA Ventures specializes in aerospace and defense services, including industrial participation and technical support. Its consortium partner, ENAV, brings experience in air-navigation and airport-related projects internationally. According to the contract documentation, ENAV has experience spanning roughly 35 years, has managed operations involving more than 45 airports and has carried out more than 300 projects across 100 countries.
