Frequently asked questions about the Procedures and Claims Portal

The Procedures and Claims Portal is a public relations space where citizens can communicate with Aena electronically.

The Procedures and Claims Portal can be used to carry out online the procedures within the jurisdiction of Aena. It can also be used to send claims, complaints and suggestions.

It is an electronic document, signed electronically by a third party, that associates a series of signature verification data to a signatory and confirms said signatory's identity.

The third party that signs the certificate is called the certification service provider. If the certification service provider fulfils the requirements established under Law 59/2003 regarding verification of applicants' identity and other circumstances, as well as the reliability and guarantees of the certification services it provides, the certificate is called a "recognised electronic certificate".

Aena has established that the files accepted for submitting requests on the Procedures and Claims Portal are electronic documents with the following extensions: .pdf, xsig.

The maximum size accepted for submitted documents is 2 Mb per request (total for all attached files).

Due to the legal requirements regarding eGovernment security, a recognised electronic certificate is required in order to use some of the eGovernment services provided on Aena's Procedures and Claims Portal. The certificate has two purposes:

• Authentication, that is, verification of the identity of the citizen requesting the service.
• Electronic signature of the citizen's electronic documents at some point in the administrative procedure.

Aena accepts electronic certificates from certification services recognised by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and by @firma (the platform for the validation and electronic signature services of the Prime Minister's Office).

To obtain a recognised electronic certificate you should contact the corresponding service provider. If you have an electronic DNI you do not need to request another certificate, as the electronic DNI incorporates a recognised electronic certificate in the chip.

An electronic signature is an electronic file that is linked to an electronic document that is signed and which identifies the signatory and what said signatory has signed.

An electronic certificate is needed to sign electronically.

Signatures made using recognised electronic certificates, as is the case of those accepted by Aena, are called recognised electronic signatures and they enable identification of the signatory and detection of any subsequent change in the signed data.

A recognised electronic signature is equivalent to a hand-written signature for all legal purposes.

The Procedures and Claims Portal can be used to carry out online procedures within the jurisdiction of Aena.

You can also send claims, complaints and suggestions through the Procedures and Claims Portal.

To see the list of procedures available, click on the Available Services tab on Aena's Procedures and Claims Portal.

Once in the selected procedure on the Procedures and Claims Portal, click on the link and the browser will ask you to enter the digital certificate to authenticate your identity.

The Procedures and Claims Portal will display a request form to be completed and, if necessary, it will let you attach files as additional information.

Once the form has been completed, click on the "send" button and the signature process starts:

1. A warning is shown alerting that the data appearing below will be signed.
2. A window opens with the details that have been filled in.
3. The explorer opens a window that requests the digital certificate the signature will be made with.
4. Once the certificate has been selected, the application will sign the request.
5. After a few minutes, the screen is shown containing the operation result:
    
   • Electronic procedure number
   • Registration number
   • Registration date and time
   • Link to the registration receipt in xml format (it is the acknowledgement of receipt signed with the Aena stamp and which has legal validity)
   • Link to the registration acknowledgement of receipt in pdf format (to give citizens a legible format)

An electronic document refers to information of any nature stored on electronic media with a specific format.

Some eOffice formalities offered by Aena require the attachment and sending of electronic documents.

Aena accepts electronic certificates from certification services recognised by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and by @firma (the platform for the validation and electronic signature services of the Prime Minister's Office).

Aena's online registry will send an acknowledgement of receipt for each document submitted. This acknowledgement includes the date and time.

The date and time are guaranteed by Aena's systems, which are synchronised with the Real Observatorio de la Armada at San Fernando (ROA), the official timekeeper for mainland Spain.

The electronic registry receives and redirects applications, writs and notifications regarding the procedures and actions for which Aena is responsible. Documents that refer to issues outside the scope of Aena's competence, or which are not submitted in one of the accepted formats, may be rejected.

An electronic record is a set of electronic documents linked to a formality.

Electronic records can be viewed online using the “Request copy of record” function.

Pursuant to prevailing law, records may only be viewed by the parties with an interest therein.

The documents that form part of the electronic record are, at least:

• Application in pdf format (so that it is legible for the citizen)
• Application signature file (p7s format). The html application together with its signature have legal validity
• Attached documents submitted
• Acknowledgement of receipt in pdf format (so that it is legible for the citizen)
• Acknowledgement of receipt in xml format (so that it is legally valid and contains the Aena stamp)

Citizens can check the status of their request. At the time of consultation, there are two possible situations:

• The citizen filed the procedure via the Procedures and Claims Portal with a digital certificate.
  In this case, the citizen can request the status of the corresponding procedure through the Procedures and Claims Portal. Citizens must manually enter the application file number whose status they would like to consult. A message will then be automatically shown with the information on the status of the selected formality.
• The citizen submitted the original request "non-electronically" in the Aena registry.
  In this case, the citizen can complete a form on the Procedures and Claims Portal with the minimum details that the Aena manager will need to locate the file and notify the citizens of the status of their request.

In both cases, it is possible to consult the procedure status online.

Citizens can ask for a duplicate of the registry receipt for any procedure they have carried out online with a digital certificate, whatever its status, by going to Aena's Procedures and Claims Portal.

When citizens access the “Request acknowledgement of receipt duplicate” option, a list will be shown of the information submitted online (applications, documentation provided, etc.).

Citizens must manually enter the registration number for which they would like to obtain the acknowledgement of receipt duplicate.

If the registration number does not exist, the citizen will be shown a message indicating this and the process will conclude. The message displayed on the citizen's screen will be “The registration number entered does not exist”.

If the registration number does exist, it will automatically be verified that the associated receipt exists in the electronic file. If this is the case, the citizen will be shown the acknowledgement of receipt. Should the receipt not exist, a new one will be created. If this file generation fails, the citizen will view an error message stating “It has not been possible to generate the acknowledgement of receipt at this time. Please try again later.

Citizens can request a copy of their electronic files opened with a digital certificate by going to Aena's Online Procedures and Claims and selecting the corresponding function.

The browser will ask you to request the digital certificate that user authentication will be made with.

When the citizen enters the option corresponding to “Request copy of electronic record”, they will be shown all records associated to that procedure. Citizens must manually enter the file number of the record they would like to obtain a copy of.

If the record selected does not exist, citizens will be shown a message indicating that this record is not in the database and the process will conclude. The message displayed on the citizen's screen will be “The record number entered does not exist”.

If everything is correct and the filed record has been found, the system will prepare a copy of the details and associated documents, provided they have been submitted electronically.

The screen will display a list of all electronic documents that form part of this record, and which will be, at least:

• Application in pdf format (so that it is legible for the citizen)
• Application signature file (p7s format). The html application together with its signature have legal validity
• Attached documents submitted
• Acknowledgement of receipt in pdf format (so that it is legible for citizens)
• Receipt in XML format (which is the legally valid document containing the Aena stamp)

All these files can be viewed or downloaded.

In the first place, not all procedures have the “Error correction” option of the documentation provided by citizens.

Correcting errors basically consists of providing, if necessary, more documentation, or correcting any information provided by the citizen in the original record.

There are two possible situations:

• The citizen him/herself starts the correction procedure from the Procedures and Claims Portal or any other communication channel.
• Citizens receive a request to correct errors from Aena.

When citizens enter the “Error correction” option, they will be shown a list of active formalities in that procedure. Next, they will be asked for the number of the file of the procedure to be corrected.

Should this procedure exist, we have the correction of a formality started electronically; otherwise, we have a formality started “non-electronically or in person”.

• If the procedure has been started electronically, citizens will not be asked for details already in the system, only those details/documents that should be corrected.
• If the procedure is started “non-electronically”, in this case there will be no details of the procedure in the system. Citizens will therefore be asked for those details necessary to identify the procedure to correct.

Citizens must electronically sign the procedure performed in both cases.

When submitting an application to the eOffice which requires attaching documentation, on the registration form (in PDF format) there is a section for ‘Attached documentation’ showing the name of each of the files sent, together with their corresponding hash code (the digital fingerprint of the file).

To check that the documents which Aena holds in relation to a given procedure are the same as the ones you sent, take the following steps:

• Go to the Aena eOffice procedure where you submitted the application.
• Click on the link “Request copy of file”.
• The system will then show a list of all the electronic files which you submitted for the chosen procedure.
• Enter the number from the list for the file you want to check and click Send. The system will then show the electronic information which forms part of the application, including the documents you attached when submitting it.
• Download the document/s you want to check, and the registration form corresponding to the application in which you attached the documentation (in PDF format), if you did not do so when submitting your application.
• For each document you want to check, run any of the existing programmes or functions (which use the SHA1 algorithm) to generate a hash code for each one. These programmes or functions are easy to find online (for example, a search for "hash generator" will lead to many tools, some of which do not require downloading).
• After generating the hash code, you can compare it with the hash code associated with the file in the PDF registration form. Both codes should be the same, and in this case, you can be sure that nobody has altered your file.

A digital fingerprint is a set of data associated with a document which enables us to be sure the document has not been altered. The digital fingerprint or summary of a document is obtained by applying a hash function to the document, producing a unique set of data of a set length.

The characteristics of a hash function include:

• Two identical documents produce identical digital fingerprints.
• Two similar documents produce completely different digital signatures.
• Two identical digital signatures can be the result of two documents which are identical, or which are completely different.
• A hash function is irreversible and cannot be undone, and thus it can be checked by applying the same hash function to the document.

To access the Procedures and Claims Portal you need a browser and Internet access.

Communication between the citizen's browser and the Aena's Procedures and Claims Portal server is based on the SSL secure protocol. According to this protocol, the Procedures and Claims Portal server is identified with the user using a server certificate.

If an electronic signature is also required, the citizen will need a browser configured to allow the installation and execution of a signature Applet (Java software that is executed in the browser).

In order to sign web forms (with attached documents) electronically the user's equipment needs to have a signature Applet (Java software that is executed in the browser) installed. This means that the user's equipment must have a Java virtual machine installed.

The electronic signature is carried out with the private key associated to the user's signature, which cannot leave the secure repository in which it is held (user PC, cryptographic card or USB token). Therefore, the software that carries out the signing has to be installed in the user's PC, where said key is lodged.

The signature software is a utility based on an Applet (Java software executed in the browser), that enables signature of web forms (with or without attached documents).

This software is downloaded to the user's PC and carries out the signature using a recognised signature certificate, which can be viewed on the browser.

This component is only downloaded once from Aena's eOffice and will self-install in the user's equipment. Any updating is carried out on this installed utility.

Note: The user's browser settings need to be set to permit the installation and execution of Applets in order to install the Applet in the user's equipment.

In order to electronically sign forms, clients' posts must be adapted to the following installation and functioning and electronic signature compatibility matrices,depending on the type of browser, operating system, Java version and signature software functionality used.

Non-compliance does not mean that the electronic signature carried out is incorrect.

The browser should be set in such a way as to permit the installation and execution of Applets(Java software executed in the browser).

The Linux distributions on which client signature operation has been specifically tested are:

• Guadalinex v3 / Ubuntu v5.10
• Red Hat v4.0

Guadalinex 4.x distribution comes with certain pre-installed libraries that render it incompatible for the correct execution of the signature software. Due to this special configuration of the libraries, a separate compatibility matrix is given for this distribution.

Ask the provider of your electronic signature for information on its use.

Please check that your certificate appears in the list of certificates accepted by Aena. Look in the category “Electronic certificates and electronic signatures" for the section “What certificates are valid for use in Aena's Procedures and Claims Portal?”.

If the certificate is included in the list but does not work, contact the office where you acquired it.

For information on how to use the electronic DNI, please consult the information published by the Ministry of the Interior on its electronic DNI Portal.

Click on this link to access the electronic DNI Portal.

Citizens' electronic certificates are components associated to individuals and, therefore, they may only be obtained personally by the interested party from the service provider that the citizen chooses.
 

The platform that supports the Procedures and Claims Portal complies with all the legal, technical and operational requirements to guarantee authenticity, integrity, availability, confidentiality and non-rejection. Therefore, documents submitted via the Procedures and Claims Portal have the same legal validity as those submitted personally in Aena's registry offices or at the corresponding airports.

The digital signature of the documents guarantees authenticity and integrity, which can be demonstrated by signature validation.

For the purposes of guaranteeing the authenticity, confidentiality and integrity of the communications, these are carried out via the secure communications protocol called SSL (Secure Socket Layer).

In addition, all requests received electronically are processed according to Organic Law 15/1999, dated 13 December, the Spanish Personal Data Protection Law (LOPD), and Royal Decree 1720/2007, dated 21 December, which approves the regulations implementing Organic Law 15/1999. To exercise their rights of access, rectification, cancellation and opposition, citizens should write to Aena's Data Protection Office (OCPD).

You may contact Aena through one of the two channels:

• By telephone, through Aena's helplines, available for those who prefer this means of contact. You may contact Aena on telephone 913 211 000, which is available 24/7.
• Electronically, via the portal you are currently visiting.