Yearly values for coefficient K in France.
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Unsafety aviation, a letter from a Spanish Passenger...
PILAR VILLANUEVA - Barcelona - 22/02/2010
I followed the news lately that have appeared about air traffic controllers. At first it was funny Minister Jose Blanco in his role as Robin Hood. However, the progressive viciousness of his campaign against that group made me assume he was preparing the ground for other interests.
Finally, the last day 5, the minister showed what has been zealously preparing: a real decree on emergency procedure that has decreed the liberalization of air traffic control. This fact seems to me more disturbing as they are not talking about any public service but a service in which safety must take precedence over everything. It is obvious that the sole objective of any private enterprise are the benefits. It is enough to read the news to see the problems that have with three or four European countries that have privatized air traffic control: just remember the intermittent blackouts throughout the control system and corresponding United Kingdom chaos lack of investment in equipment, or the latest mid-air collision of aircraft in Switzerland was understaffed.
In Spain, the Minister of Public Works has decided to fire the air traffic controllers from towers. That will begin from the nine towers with less flights. The controllers will be replaced by unskilled personnel without higher education who are going to train for two months instead of two years, and also have not gone through any selection process, then, suspiciously, the deadline for applications was a day and all vacancies were taken inmediately. Interestingly, they have all failed the test of English proficiency, and half in the final examination skills, and this has not prevented the general approval and, therefore, come to give information service, not control!
These "pseudo-controlles" are chosen and trained by a private company, Ineco. I do not go to assessing whether the salaries of controllers are deserved, but I am convinced that this work requires great responsibility and must be done by someone who has been through a tough and strict selection process and has the necessary preparation and temper.
Just ask some sanity to AENA and to the group of controllers to reach a negotiated settlement, and also to the manipulated public opinion to not allow that the government privatize the aviation safety. As usual airline passenger, I'm starting to scare me.
Original Version (Spanish): http://www.elpais.com/articulo/opinion/Inseguridad/aerea/elpepiopi/20100222elpepiopi_9/Tes