Air Traffic Controllers In Greece To Join European Strike On Thursday, 30 Jan.

Delays and cancellations are expected so passengers are advised to contact their airlines

Flights arriving and departing Greece will most likely be disrupted on Thursday 30 January as air traffic controllers have announced that they will join a European air traffic strike.

Greek air traffic controllers have announced they will walk off the job between 11am and 2pm.

Also, according to reports, problems are also to be expected in some Greek regional airports on Wednesday 29 January due to a four-hour work stoppage by the Union of Air Traffic Control Safety Electronic Engineers from 10am to 2pm on both 29-30 January.

The industrial action has been called by European air traffic infrastructure providers Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination (ATCEUC) and the European Air Transport Workers’ federation.

Air traffic controllers in several countries including France, Italy, Portugal and Hungary are planning to strike from midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday.

AEA condemns strike actions

In an announcement, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) strongly condemned the “unjustified actions which highjack a transport sector vital for Europe’s economy and mobility.

“Reason for the social unrest is a pure personal agenda related to the long overdue Single European Sky legislation on which amendments are discussed this week in the EU Parliament,” AEA said. The association added that consequences will be felt by passengers, airlines, freight forwarders and express courier services.

“Europe’s airlines and passengers have suffered at the hands of ATC providers for too long now,” said AEA’s CEO Athar Husain Khan.

“Not only are these providers seriously delaying the implementation of the environmental friendly Single European Sky project which is urgently needed to increase the efficiency and  capacity of the air traffic system, now they also attack all their clients with unjustified strikes. This is unacceptable,” the association concluded.