Two air traffic controllers have tested positive for Covid-19 meaning that all their contacts will have to self-isolate, Yeniduzen reported.
The further shortage of staffing will only lead to more problems given that there has not been sufficient staff numbers to man the air traffic control for years, Yeniduzen writes.
Air Traffic Controllers Union President Cem Kapısız told Yeniduzen that air traffic was at a standstill due to Covid cases and the isolation of contacts. “Now the rope is broken“, he said.
Kapısız pointed out that the union had warned successive governments for years about staff shortages. “We gave our solution proposals. But no one listened to us. It was clear that we would get to this point“, he said. “No one applies to fill the vacancies. Those on the inside are also leaving, the personnel [number] has decreased a lot“, said Kapısız, noting that the teams were far below the minimum level.
Saying, “Managers and supervisors are working hard, employees are engaged in drudgery, they are working in a way that cannot receive any compensation from the state”, union leader Kapısız said.
“Normally, there should be four teams, but there were three teams, each made up of nine people. The last two teams remain. “In the last case, all employees will sleep and wake up in Ercan. The rope has broken. We will probably ban someone from now on. Some people need to be banned from entering the government“, he said.
As of 2017, Ercan airport has seen more than 400% decrease in customers, as a result of tight security measures imposed by the UK Department for Transport questioning the status of the airport and forcing passengers travelling between Britain and Northern Cyprus to disembark with their luggage and go through a fresh security check in Turkey in order to board a new aircraft for their final destination. [Wikipedia]