Air traffic controllers at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have declared that they will only work 13 hours a day as of 5 September 2023 due to a severe shortage of controllers.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the controllers announced that their schedule will run from 7 AM to 8 PM at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, with a meager staff of 13 controllers, including department and section heads.
They stressed that “flights will be planned in such a way as to be compatible with air traffic controllers’ capacities.”
“Schedules will be in line with our current staffing levels and will guarantee the safety of air traffic, until the necessary reforms within the air navigation department are implemented to restore 24-hour operation at the airport in a safe and adequate manner,” they added.
The air traffic controllers justify their decision by explaining the management’s indifference to the multitude of reports that department heads have been submitting for over a year, requesting either an increase in the number of certified controllers or the closure of the airport at night.
The statement highlights a dangerous staff shortage. Only six controllers instead of 52 are now working in the control department, managing radars, and they are assisted by two retired controllers on contract. And seven controllers, instead of 35, are assigned to the airport control department, i.e. the control tower, and are assisted by one retired controller on contract
“It’s worth remembering that most of us have passed the age of 50. In other words, each controller is doing the work of four or more employees, which is extremely dangerous and jeopardizes air traffic safety,” the statement read.
On Friday, the DGCA denied the existence of any threat to air safety, in response to information published on the website of The National the day before about a pre-audit report drawn up by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the ICAO about failing safety standards at Beirut airport.
The article stated that the report “highlights inadequacies in air navigation services (ANS) that must be addressed with the utmost urgency,” and that these inadequacies “include air-traffic control, communication, navigation, surveillance and meteorological services.“
