The regulatory structure for non-commercial aviation in the Canary Islands is undergoing a definitive overhaul. In 2027, the Government of the Canary Islands will formally assume the supervisory and inspection functions of Maspalomas-El Berriel Aerodrome (ICAO: GCLB), an administrative prerogative previously exercised by the state-owned public entity Enaire. This transfer of powers separates the management of state-owned infrastructure of general interest—the eight commercial airports integrated into the AENA network—from those assets dedicated to general, sport, medical, or emergency aviation operating in the Canary Islands.
The new regional oversight architecture encompasses a deployment of critical assets distributed across the other non-capital islands. The regulated inventory includes the El Jarde airfield in Antigua, Fuerteventura, which focuses on ultralight aircraft (ULM), and a network of medical heliports authorized by the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA). These platforms support medical evacuations from the University Hospitals of the Canary Islands and La Candelaria Hospital in Tenerife, the Insular Hospital of Gran Canaria, and the general hospitals on La Palma, La Gomera, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote.
The tourist and educational facility in southern Gran Canaria tops the list of eleven exclusive air infrastructures now under the direct supervision of the regional government. This regulatory change places the Canary Islands Executive as the guarantor of safety and operational compliance at a private airstrip whose land historically belongs to the County of Vega Grande. The airstrip, managed since 2020 by Canavia Líneas Aéreas after the expiration of the fifty-year surface rights held by the Royal Aeroclub of Gran Canaria, consolidates its position as the most active light aircraft hub in the eastern province.
The technical characteristics of El Berriel Airport require rigorous air traffic coordination due to its unique geographical location. The airfield has an 800 by 20 meter asphalt runway, three hangars for aircraft repair and storage, and specialized fuel supply points for fuels such as JET A1, 100 LL, and SP98 gasoline. The facility operates as an uncontrolled airfield, without conventional air traffic control (ATC) tower services. Crews execute their maneuvers using cross-communications on the 122.700 MHz air band frequency, and the entire airfield is confined within the controlled airspace (CTR) of Gran Canaria Airport.
The draft decree also covers the operational bases of the heliborne forest fire brigades (BRIF and EIRIF), the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES), and Maritime Rescue (SASEMAR). Key infrastructure under direct supervision includes the heliports of La Guancha and Los Rodeos in Tenerife, the bases of El Cuartón and Artenara in Gran Canaria, the enclaves of Puntagorda and Los Llanos de Aridane on La Palma, and the forestry heliports of Alajeró and El Cedro on La Gomera, thus safeguarding logistical response capacity for weather emergencies and maritime rescues across the archipelago.
