Air Traffic Controllers: Systems are outdated – The system is incompatible with European regulations

For “outdated systems” and for “surprise” in the new bill of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which “does not satisfy basic requirements of the European regulations,” speaks the Union of Air Traffic Controllers (E.E.E.K.E) in its announcement.

The controllers participate in the 24-hour strike of ADEDY on Wednesday, October 1, against the new bill, but according to relevant NOTAM from the CAA, their participation in the strike may be suspended following relevant decision of the competent judicial authorities. Aegean and Sky Express issued announcements with which they inform the passengers that they do not proceed in changes in the schedule of routes, offering alternatives for those who want to change the date of their trip.

It concerns the draft law with title: “Establishment of legal entity of public law (n.p.d.d.) with the name Civil Aviation Authority (Y.P.A.) and other provisions of competence of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport” which came out yesterday in consultation and will remain until October 9, 2025.

The controllers point out: “The bill that was presented in the public consultation contains provisions that not only were never agreed, but not even discussed, thus choosing the method of surprise. Obviously this from our side will not be tolerated.”

E.E.E.K.E mentions that from the beginning of the summer the controllers in all air traffic units serve larger volume of traffic than the already increased one that has been agreed, and that according to data of Eurocontrol the A.T.C. of C.A.A. are the fifth most productive among 38 providers in all Europe, despite that the conditions in which the Greek A.T.C. work are worse than anywhere else in the rest of Europe, even in the Balkans.

With the proposed provisions of the draft law is pursued the institutional reform with the transformation of the Civil Aviation Authority from independent public service into n.p.d.d. with aim to contribute to the upgrade of the provided services of air navigation and airport management by the C.A.A., within the goals set by the European and international organizations, with parallel modernization of the systems of air navigation for the constant pursuit and achievement of the goal of safety of flights.

Read the announcement..

“With sense of responsibility, we would like to inform the passenger public that all Air Traffic Controllers (A.T.C.) serve daily with safety as many flights as possible, working in regime of extreme understaffing and lack of modern equipment.

In order to face the volume of the air traffic, which every year notes new record, the A.T.C. have accepted to work in the summer period with reduced rest days, so that the system of management of the air traffic can cope, which is one of the pillars of support of tourism in our country. Having awareness of our duty towards the country and the passenger public and being devoted to the non-negotiable maintenance of the levels of safety, we have demanded from the Administration of C.A.A. and of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to take also their responsibilities for the sanitization of C.A.A.

On the one hand the Administration of C.A.A. committed in writing from May 2024 for the following:

The implementation of program of gradual replacement of the equipment of surveillance, of voice communications, and of navigation.

The upgrade of the reliability and of the availability of the existing equipment with the supply of all the critical spare parts to the extent this is possible.

Until today the Administration of C.A.A. has not managed to sign any of the critical contracts for the supply of new radar system, as well as of the communication systems for the approach of Athens and the Area Control Center Athens Macedonia. The only thing it has done is to issue consecutively press releases in which it reproduces the same proclamations, simply shifting the dates that the supply of the critical equipment will be implemented. A glance at what it promised, with the from 1/2/2025 press release, to happen in the first quarter of 2025 and what from these has happened today (as fortunately ends the third quarter of 2025), is enough for the public to understand that the C.A.A. simply is limited to exercises on paper without results.

The incident on 19/8/2025, with the failure of a critical spare part and the loss of the image of the terminal radar and of the backup frequencies of the approach of Athens on the hill Merenta proves that since last year the C.A.A. has not taken care to procure a spare part, which has been found that needs replacement, with result the country to be disgraced internationally. Even today the C.A.A. has not yet procured the said spare part.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport committed against and of the European Commission to make a law that reorganizes the C.A.A., transforming it into a modern provider of services of air navigation that satisfies the European Regulations.

We have met with the representative of the European Commission who deals with the reorganization of the C.A.A. and we have found that we have common views for the sanitization of the C.A.A. and that we share the common goal to make the C.A.A. a modern Provider of Services of Air Navigation that fully applies the European Regulations.

Already from July we have submitted proposals to the Ministry based on an initial draft law that was communicated to us. The European Commission also submitted observations. The Ministry chose not to accept neither our observations, nor of the European Commission and presented yesterday in the public consultation a draft law worse even than the one it gave us initially. It is obvious that the Ministry did not even bother to examine the proposals of the employees who will be called to apply this bill.

The bill that was presented in the public consultation contains provisions that not only were never agreed, but not even discussed, thus choosing the method of surprise. Obviously this from our side will not be tolerated.

From the beginning of the summer we serve in all the air traffic units larger volume of traffic than the already increased one that has been agreed.

Especially for the Athens International Airport we serve even 36 arrivals per hour although the nominal capacity is 22 and the increased capacity that has been agreed is 28. The very administration of the C.A.A. with letter to Eurocontrol on 22/8/2025 recognizes the exceeding that is done in the agreed limit.

Now after the mockery that we undergo it has no meaning to over-exert ourselves and to serve traffic above the already increased agreed levels. Even now we serve actually 28 arrivals per hour in the A.I.A. which together with the flights that are made visually we reach up to 33 total arrivals per hour. Therefore no “slow down” do the air traffic controllers make, as conveniently is written as excuse in some media.

The A.T.C., especially the last four summers, we have proved that we care for the service of the passenger public and the upgrade of the C.A.A.. The reason that the system of the air traffic has not collapsed is exclusively the effort that the A.T.C. make, since the C.A.A. and the Ministry over time have not done their duty.

We sent letter from 1/9/2025 asking meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr. Dimas and we did not receive even answer. We sent him again letter on 22/9/2025 and until today there has been no interest to hear our proposals. In the last letter we made clear that we would stop to serve above the already increased limit, naturally without receiving answer. There is no excuse that he did not know the situation or that yesterday’s development was sudden.

Despite the efforts to present the problem as “personal differences” or “union demands” the reality is indisputable. The systems are outdated and the bill that was presented does not satisfy basic requirements of the European regulations, something that certifies the very European Commission which threatens our country with sanctions.

The very representative of the European Commission gave congratulations to the Greek A.T.C. who manage unprecedented volume of traffic, being extremely understaffed and working with such outdated systems. The data that presents Eurocontrol prove that the A.T.C. of the C.A.A. are the fifth most productive among 38 providers in all Europe, despite that the conditions in which the Greek A.T.C. work are worse than anywhere else in the rest of Europe, even in the Balkans.

We call the Administrations of the C.A.A. and of the Ministry to take their responsibilities and not to search excuses accusing the A.T.C., who are those that are called every time to bear the weight of mismanagement and to face alone the problem. Our patience has been exhausted and we no longer tolerate any mockery. We also call the Ministry and the Administration of the C.A.A. to implement what they have committed, to evaluate and to incorporate our proposals, which in many cases coincide with those of the European Commission, for the new law of the C.A.A. and to show the necessary appreciation and respect to the work of the Air Traffic Controller.”