(LGMT) Lesbos controller overslept.
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Smilin Ed,
To accept arriving and/or departing public transport flights, in Greece just like the US of A, an airport has to be fully open and manned. That means having a fire service ready for action at the Category needed for any aircraft that lands or takes off, ATC open and operating (Approach and Aerodrome, perhaps combined), lighting operative, Navaids etc etc.
It's not like an aircraft carrier, where these things are usually available because no-one can go home, there's enough people to work 3 shifts, and Uncle Sam picks up the bill without needing to make a return on capital.
So, believe it or not, there are airports that do close up when they are not needed for commercial operations, like at night. No-one pays them to stay open 24/7, so not only do they not do that, they couldn't do that. And in spite of my attempt at humour above, I think you'll find some in the USA.
An FBO, incidentally, is a business operating on an airfield, not necessarily an airfield. But some FBO's do own and operate the airfield as well, so confusion is forgiveable.
To accept arriving and/or departing public transport flights, in Greece just like the US of A, an airport has to be fully open and manned. That means having a fire service ready for action at the Category needed for any aircraft that lands or takes off, ATC open and operating (Approach and Aerodrome, perhaps combined), lighting operative, Navaids etc etc.
It's not like an aircraft carrier, where these things are usually available because no-one can go home, there's enough people to work 3 shifts, and Uncle Sam picks up the bill without needing to make a return on capital.
So, believe it or not, there are airports that do close up when they are not needed for commercial operations, like at night. No-one pays them to stay open 24/7, so not only do they not do that, they couldn't do that. And in spite of my attempt at humour above, I think you'll find some in the USA.
An FBO, incidentally, is a business operating on an airfield, not necessarily an airfield. But some FBO's do own and operate the airfield as well, so confusion is forgiveable.
Who really cares??
Who really cares??
If a private facility wants to close, that's their business, but publicly owned facility is there to serve the public. Are we talking about a private or public facility? Fifty years ago I heard about fields in Europe and Africa which turned off the lights to save money. Surely we're beyond that now.
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Smilin Ed
Outside the USA, the home of private enterprise, a lot of airports are indeed privately-owned.
Even in the USA, it would appear that public owners do not invariably squander taxpayers' money by staying open all night when there are no operations scheduled.
Do you have any notion of the cost of keeping all those people there "just in case"?
There will always be somewhere reasonably close that is open, ie a major city airport.
Looking at airports in West Virginia, for example,
KMRB Attendance: MAY-SEPT 0700-2100, OCT-APR 0700-1900
KCRW Attendance: CONTINUOUS
KHLG Attendance: MON-FRI 0700-2300, ALL SAT-SUN 0800-2000
Now, you can argue that of those only Charleston is used regularly by airlines, and you would be right (I think). But the others are publicly-owned, and have runways that are lit (as far as I can see) and quite long; they have navaids, and would be useful in a real emergency to comeone who has nowhere else to go. What they may not have is a CFR service at the right category, but that doesn't seem to worry you.
Lesbos isn't that big either, and there are plenty of airports open 24/7 reasonably close by.
If you seriously believe that every public airfield should be open 24/7, I suggest you take up your crusade with the FAA. When the USA does it, I'm sure the rest of the world will follow.
Outside the USA, the home of private enterprise, a lot of airports are indeed privately-owned.
Even in the USA, it would appear that public owners do not invariably squander taxpayers' money by staying open all night when there are no operations scheduled.
Do you have any notion of the cost of keeping all those people there "just in case"?
There will always be somewhere reasonably close that is open, ie a major city airport.
Looking at airports in West Virginia, for example,
KMRB Attendance: MAY-SEPT 0700-2100, OCT-APR 0700-1900
KCRW Attendance: CONTINUOUS
KHLG Attendance: MON-FRI 0700-2300, ALL SAT-SUN 0800-2000
Now, you can argue that of those only Charleston is used regularly by airlines, and you would be right (I think). But the others are publicly-owned, and have runways that are lit (as far as I can see) and quite long; they have navaids, and would be useful in a real emergency to comeone who has nowhere else to go. What they may not have is a CFR service at the right category, but that doesn't seem to worry you.
Lesbos isn't that big either, and there are plenty of airports open 24/7 reasonably close by.
If you seriously believe that every public airfield should be open 24/7, I suggest you take up your crusade with the FAA. When the USA does it, I'm sure the rest of the world will follow.
It just ain't that hard...
Apsen/Pitkin County: gov. owned (county), USA, tower-controlled, scheduled airline operations (UA, F9) - and closed for 8 hours each night.....
Aspen Airport - Procedures
Salina KS (KSLN), city-owned, airline service (Great Lakes), twr, USA
Tower operates 700am-1100pm local
The Airport Guide :: Airport Information for SALINA MUNI
Eagle, CO county owned, airlines, USA, tower-controlled, twr operates 7am - 7pm local, airlines United X, American, Delta, Continental, (some seasonal) Eagle County, Colorado
The Airport Guide :: Airport Information for EAGLE CO RGNL
etc etc etc.
Any one of these has to be opened by an early morning tower staffer who is not replacing anyone - and if (s)he oversleeps....
Aspen Airport - Procedures
Salina KS (KSLN), city-owned, airline service (Great Lakes), twr, USA
Tower operates 700am-1100pm local
The Airport Guide :: Airport Information for SALINA MUNI
Eagle, CO county owned, airlines, USA, tower-controlled, twr operates 7am - 7pm local, airlines United X, American, Delta, Continental, (some seasonal) Eagle County, Colorado
The Airport Guide :: Airport Information for EAGLE CO RGNL
etc etc etc.
Any one of these has to be opened by an early morning tower staffer who is not replacing anyone - and if (s)he oversleeps....
Hands up - a number of years ago, I fell asleep and hadn't plugged the phone into the socket in my 'bunk' (back office..). Nightime (MIl) bad weather inbound from the states, and the wind had changed onto the non ILS runway. I'm guessing ATC had had a nap too, and when they needed me to spin the GCA Radar they couldn't get me. - I learned about not sleeping from that.
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Smilin Ed
Take it up with the NRA.
Or realise that sometimes sh!t happens.
I holidayed (vacationed ) in Greece( Corfu ) years ago, it was quite difficult to even make an international call, you went to the telephone exchange in Kerkiyra, and waited (hours) . American tourists in there brandishing AT&T cards and demanding to be put through NOW.
You gotta remember, some days you're the windscreen and sometimes you're the bug.
Take it up with the NRA.
Or realise that sometimes sh!t happens.
I holidayed (vacationed ) in Greece( Corfu ) years ago, it was quite difficult to even make an international call, you went to the telephone exchange in Kerkiyra, and waited (hours) . American tourists in there brandishing AT&T cards and demanding to be put through NOW.
You gotta remember, some days you're the windscreen and sometimes you're the bug.
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Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt!
AR1, ditto.
Left a Regional Carrier holding for a little over an hour one morning, spookily for exactly the same reason as the poor individual on Lesbos! Privately-owned, commercial, Controlled airport I must add.
And before anybody asks or suggests it; no, I had not abandoned my post, even though I was the one who had closed up the previous night after the last arrival. It was expected that I would leave the airport and go home (as far as I know the insurance only covered Night Watchmen to be on the premises overnight unless there were aircraft moving, but I'm open to correction on that one).
Luckily I had managed to get all of the Opening-Up Checks and Inspections completed and had given a Landing Clearance before the Ops Director arrived (not at all happy about having been woken from his bed so early I might add!).
Copped a lot of flack for that one I don't mind admitting.
The really strange coincidence was that years later I ended up jump-seating on the same Regional Carrier due to an overbooked flight, and guess what? It was exactly the same flight crew from that infamous morning! The relationship only became fully apparent half-way through the flight during conversation, and needless to say much joviality ensued! The pilots themselves weren't at all bothered about the situation, either at the time or later when it was realised what we all had in common.
Their bosses at the airline were a different matter, however, as they informed me. They saw the incident as a golden opportunity to score political capital and screw ever more concessions out of the airport operator!
Left a Regional Carrier holding for a little over an hour one morning, spookily for exactly the same reason as the poor individual on Lesbos! Privately-owned, commercial, Controlled airport I must add.
And before anybody asks or suggests it; no, I had not abandoned my post, even though I was the one who had closed up the previous night after the last arrival. It was expected that I would leave the airport and go home (as far as I know the insurance only covered Night Watchmen to be on the premises overnight unless there were aircraft moving, but I'm open to correction on that one).
Luckily I had managed to get all of the Opening-Up Checks and Inspections completed and had given a Landing Clearance before the Ops Director arrived (not at all happy about having been woken from his bed so early I might add!).
Copped a lot of flack for that one I don't mind admitting.
The really strange coincidence was that years later I ended up jump-seating on the same Regional Carrier due to an overbooked flight, and guess what? It was exactly the same flight crew from that infamous morning! The relationship only became fully apparent half-way through the flight during conversation, and needless to say much joviality ensued! The pilots themselves weren't at all bothered about the situation, either at the time or later when it was realised what we all had in common.
Their bosses at the airline were a different matter, however, as they informed me. They saw the incident as a golden opportunity to score political capital and screw ever more concessions out of the airport operator!
I don't know what all of the fuss is about.
The female controller probably received a severe tongue lashing from her female senior controller and so now all is forgiven.
The female controller probably received a severe tongue lashing from her female senior controller and so now all is forgiven.
