Originally Posted by
SWBKCB
or fewer flights
This is indeed par t of the problem. The bean counters generally cater for the average numbers of flights , not the peaks. In addition if an airline decides to move its hub from an airport for another one, the balance of traffic is sudden , meaning from decision to first flights can be weeks ( or even days in some cases. ) Recruitment to fully ops controller in a major airport is anything from a year ( for transfers) to up to 3 years for ab initio. So you'll always be behind.
Another unspoked factor is part time. Due to the ( welcomed) feminisation of the job , since it is rather well paid, many are requesting part time after their first kid, so you might have the numbers on paper but not available 100% of the time ,
That said, if a single controller call in sick and its supervisor is unable to immediately find a stand by duty to fill the gap, and this is causing the kind of disruptions we have see in EGKK, then it shows how tight their operations are .