Delays continue at Copenhagen airport due to dissatisfaction among air traffic controllers

Nearly 90,000 travellers are expected to pass through Copenhagen Airport on Friday, which is said to be the busiest travel day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the busy travel day coincides with a conflict between the state-owned air navigation service provider Naviair and the air traffic controllers’ union, DATCA. The conflict has caused massive delays and cancellations at the airport in the past month.

Traffic Manager Kristoffer Plenge-Brandt of Copenhagen Airport states that there will also be delays on Friday due to the ongoing conflict and emphasises the need for a resolution.

According to Lise Kürstein, the press officer at the airport, there is a 30-minute delay for landing flights on Friday morning, and during the evening, there will be an hour-long wait for both departing and arriving flights.

It is important for travellers to arrive at the airport on time. The airport usually informs Naviair about the number of daily departures and landings, and Naviair provides the necessary number of air traffic controllers. However, the current situation is the reverse, with Naviair informing the airport about the available number of air traffic controllers.

In April, over a million passengers were affected by delays at Copenhagen Airport, with 45 percent of departures delayed by more than 15 minutes.

DATCA chairman Esben Jean-Pierre Blum has called for political intervention in the conflict due to the shortage of air traffic controllers. He acknowledges that passengers are being taken hostage by the situation. Naviair wants the air traffic controllers to take on additional shifts, but DATCA believes that the extra shifts have become too extensive.

The conflict between Naviair and DATCA has been ongoing for over a month.

Source: TV2 Nyheder