UK ATCO Redundancies
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GATCO have expressed concern that NATS have terminated the training of 122 trainee ATCOs who are now under threat of redundancy or re-deployment, some of them being within 2 weeks of completing training and receiving their Student ATCO licenses.
Long term this could lead to shortages as 'natural wastage' due to retirements, resignations, failure to achieve competency etc occur as traffic picks up in the wake of the slump caused by COVID 19..
Long term this could lead to shortages as 'natural wastage' due to retirements, resignations, failure to achieve competency etc occur as traffic picks up in the wake of the slump caused by COVID 19..
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So what is the magic number? Truth is that no-one knows! If traffic remains static or thereabouts then I know my unit will not be recruiting. No imminent retirements, no-one seems that keen to move anywhere at the minute due to the whole uncertainty. The talk is still of career breaks and part time working amongst other cost saving rumours, recruitment is definitely on hold.
Join Date: Apr 2018
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UK traffic is at -62% from this day in 2019 (if I read the eurocontrol stats correctly).
At the same time, aircaft are probably less than half full on average so airlines must be at least 70/80% down. This is not just a blip. It's long term damage.
Whatever that "magic" number is, we're a long way from it..
At the same time, aircaft are probably less than half full on average so airlines must be at least 70/80% down. This is not just a blip. It's long term damage.
Whatever that "magic" number is, we're a long way from it..
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Have to agree with the above comment. In the best case scenario the magic number of ATCOs will be achieved through natural wastage, what that number is and when it is reached is anyones guess. I suspect that many ANSPs will take the opportunity to reduce costs now that they have in effect a captive workforce, the days where you had a choice of several units to apply to have gone!
Have to agree with the above comment. In the best case scenario the magic number of ATCOs will be achieved through natural wastage, what that number is and when it is reached is anyones guess. I suspect that many ANSPs will take the opportunity to reduce costs now that they have in effect a captive workforce, the days where you had a choice of several units to apply to have gone!
NATS recruitment frozen until God knows when.
Non NATS ain’t going to be sending people on courses unless absolutely necessary.
Doubt there will be many willing to risk leaving the mil to go civil any time soon.
Self funders? Forget it...
Can anyone else see where this is going?
Give it 2 years... oh no, we have no ATCOs again...
“Oh no, we have no ATCOs again” seems to be an oft-repeated theme for every ANSP. Unfortunately managers get bonuses/promotions for costs saved rather than long-term planning for the health and safety of a company.
With three years from recruitment to validation we should be recruiting now, but instead we will repeat the errors which lead to our forthcoming retirement bulge. Running short-staffed also leads to further staff attrition - its no fun being overworked or overloaded with no possibility to split frequencies and you find that those that can leave/retire do.
With three years from recruitment to validation we should be recruiting now, but instead we will repeat the errors which lead to our forthcoming retirement bulge. Running short-staffed also leads to further staff attrition - its no fun being overworked or overloaded with no possibility to split frequencies and you find that those that can leave/retire do.
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What exactly is the basis for the oft repeated phrase of "retirement bulge"? Genuine question, not having a go at anyone. I know many ATCOs in many units and no-one is living with an imminent staff shortage due retirements. Is this maybe a NATS thing? And if so, why?
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In Germany we´re probably going to loose about a quarter of the operational workforce into retirement over the next five years. Hence a massive recruitment effort was started pre-Covid, ab-initios for the most part plus a few ready-entries from abroad. I´m not sure whether we can afford to continue this effort in the short term, but if not we´ll pay for it in a couple of years. Again.
Anyway, to be honest, the current situation is not trivial. Management knows as much as anybody else how traffic levels will develop....
Even if recruitment would continue, there´s really no way we could properly train all those new guys and gals. Sectors have been collapsed for most of the last seven months and the few simulators can only do so much.
I´m sure mighty glad we were way understaffed before this sh.. started.
Anyway, to be honest, the current situation is not trivial. Management knows as much as anybody else how traffic levels will develop....
Even if recruitment would continue, there´s really no way we could properly train all those new guys and gals. Sectors have been collapsed for most of the last seven months and the few simulators can only do so much.
I´m sure mighty glad we were way understaffed before this sh.. started.
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During approx 91-93 NATS had a very large recruitment drive resulting in over 200 controllers per year being recruited, mainly in their early 20s. Even removing those who failed to validate, have left since etc., there still remain a large number of controllers, a large number of whom have left the DB scheme, now in their early 50s, and who may decide that, as they are able to access their pensions from age 55, retirement is a very real option. Granted the ‘new normal’ conditions may have changed this perception to some extent, but there remains a very high number of controllers at least theoretically able to retire in the next 3-7 years.
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Winter schedules have now been published, now that we have a better idea of what winter traffic levels will be like and now that most airports know the amount of financial struggles they face, has any ANSP decided on effective cost saving measures yet? I'm hearing of some airports reducing hours, this will obviously affect rostered cover required which in turn equals less ATCOs needed in the short term. There were murmurings of enhanced retirement packages a while ago to encourage those near the age to leave early, also talk of 2/3 working time and 1/2 working time etc. Nothing seems to have actually happened though - not sure if thats good or bad!
Join Date: Apr 2018
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Stansted and East Mids are back to being in the top 3 busiest UK airports during the week, (ABZ probably up there too, but Eurocontrol stats don't show heli flights) which is what was happening back in April and May. Cargo & mail are the only things keeping the aviation figures up.
I don't think anyone who worked through the dire situation back then expected to see the same again so soon. Which of course is compounded by the natural slow down for winter.
I don't think anyone who worked through the dire situation back then expected to see the same again so soon. Which of course is compounded by the natural slow down for winter.
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just been listening to a money programme looking at the losses incurred by travel industry. BA losing £50 million a day! They said airports were losing vast amounts of money. Said NATS hadn’t responded for information but the losses again are believed to be huge
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The losses that airlines are dealing with are colossal, the sorts of figures that probably most of our high street businesses would already have collapsed from - yet the government seems content to watch it happen, strange. And no, I don't know the answer to fix it! The government today is apparently talking about another full lockdown, more pressure on aviation.
The airline losses will be impacting the airports financial status who in turn will be looking for cuts. Whats the biggest expenditure of a typical airport? Anyone want to take a bet that ATC provision has to be near the top of the list in most cases? Whats the biggest expenditure of a typical ANSP contract? That'll be those pesky expensive controllers, to quote from Game of Thrones - winter is coming.
The airline losses will be impacting the airports financial status who in turn will be looking for cuts. Whats the biggest expenditure of a typical airport? Anyone want to take a bet that ATC provision has to be near the top of the list in most cases? Whats the biggest expenditure of a typical ANSP contract? That'll be those pesky expensive controllers, to quote from Game of Thrones - winter is coming.