589 flight departures and 74,868 air passengers have suffered delays since last Friday at Copenhagen Airport Kastrup. The delays are due to a lack of air traffic controllers – now the air traffic controllers may be forced to work extra shifts.
The major shortage of air traffic controllers arose after Naviair was forced to lay off around 45 out of 300 air traffic controllers during the corona pandemic. Since then, air traffic has resumed faster than expected. The solution to the problem was then that the air traffic controllers were called in to work extra shifts – which has caused a major conflict.
The conflict is based on the fact that the air traffic controllers are demanding a substantial salary increase. Just over 40 percent, which on average means that an air traffic controller would earn 1.7 million DKK (230,000 EUR) per year, to carry out the extra shift. An unacceptable wage demand for Naviair.
“DATCA (air traffic controllers’ union) has told us that if they are to take the extra shift, they must have 40 percent more salary. This will mean that the average salary will increase from today’s 1.2 million kroner to approximately 1.7 million kroner. If they don’t get that, they won’t help us with extra shidts,” says Mads Kvist Eriksen.
The pay dispute has resulted in air traffic controllers moving to employers abroad. This has led to a lack of staff, hence heavy delays.
“Right now, Naviair’s only way out to solve the situation is for our members to be ordered to take many more extra shifts. Over the past year, air traffic controllers have covered over 1,500 extra shifts, and it’s simply not a sustainable solution anymore,” Esben Jean-Pierre Blum, chairman of DATCA told BT.
In the period Friday to Monday, the delays affected at least 37 percent of departures each day. On Friday, there were 53 percent of departures and on Sunday, 65 percent.
On its website, Copenhagen Airport urges air passengers to keep up-to-date on their departures.
Source: Dagens Nyheter
[…] 75,000 passengers delayed at Copenhagen Airport due to lack of air traffic controllers […]
Comments are closed.