Air battle over €220 million

Controllers are expressing their strong absorption to the caller measure for the administrative transformation of the Civil Aviation Authority. They assertion that it will origin organizational paralysis successful the assemblage from the archetypal time of its implementation, alternatively of improvement.

Route and terminal fees, i.e. the amounts paid by airlines to use Greek airspace, make important revenues, which are collected and remitted to Greece by Eurocontrol. Last year they amounted to €220 million.

This wealth from En-Route and Terminal Air Navigation System charges is intended to screen the salaries and allowances of aerial traffic controllers and infrastructure, e.g. radars. With the caller instrumentality of the Transport Ministry, administrative employees of the Hellenic Air Traffic Control Authority, the mishap probe authorization (EODASAAM) and “other bodies” will take a portion of this pie. This provoked reactions from the controllers, who reduced the fig of flights they service per hr astatine the Athens airport, causing delays and hassle for thousands of passengers.

“It’s not a question of money. There is tons of it.” This presumption was expressed astir identically by antithetic radical with wrong cognition of the aviation industry. Since the wealth is there, why are we still talking astir obsolete aerial navigation systems that are unable to conscionable the accrued demand? And why weren’t the indispensable controllers hired earlier?

The reply lies successful the fees. This is wealth that airlines wage depending connected the size of the craft and the way to use Greek airspace. The amounts are initially collected by Eurocontrol and then paid to Greece.

The work for however the fees will beryllium spent lies solely with each state, which besides prepares the corresponding study based connected the outgo of the services it offers. The wealth indispensable beryllium spent chiefly connected activities related to aerial traffic absorption and not connected wide state expenses. It indispensable screen obligations such arsenic the payroll and training of aerial traffic controllers and investments successful the modernization and attraction of aerial navigation infrastructure.

“Under nary circumstances is the financing of different activities allowed and surely not the absorption and cognition of the 22 state airports,” the president of the Panhellenic Air Traffic Controllers Association, Panagiotis Psaros, tells Kathimerini.