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-   -   Safety issues arisen as a result of industrial action by Ethiopian controllers (https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/612948-safety-issues-arisen-result-industrial-action-ethiopian-controllers.html)

Yaw String 3rd Sep 2018 17:55

Safety issues arisen as a result of industrial action by Ethiopian controllers
 
There is a thread currently running on African forum but this warrants wider coverage!
30th August the president of Kenya Air Traffic Controllers' Association wrote of the following serious concerns.
1.Flights inbound Nairobi,from Addis are calling Nairobi control without prior estimates.
2.There have been several incidents of loss of separation between aircraft at the transfer point,due wrong,or no estimates from Addis.
3.There has been one serious RA event between B737 and B767, both maintaining FL360, with no prior co-ordination from Addis.
4.Addis airspace is currently manned by retired Controllers with no current validation,who have no understanding of current airspace procedures,who are overwhelmed,and unable to copy correct estimates.
5. The few estimates passed by Addis to Nairobi are incorrect in type,callsign,and often with incorrect destination.
6.Aircraft are entering Kenyan airspace at flight levels different to those passed by Addis Controllers.
7.Some flights from Addis are entering Nairobi airspace at incorrect levels for direction of travel.

"These are some of the serious safety issues that we continue to experience in the airspace,as a result of the standoff between Ethiopian Controllers,and their management!
We urge all stakeholders to do everything within their abilities to ensure that whatever issues the Ethiopian controllers have with their management is solved in an environment of give and take,so that normal operations can be restored in the Addis Ababa airspace!

Yaw String 3rd Sep 2018 18:00

IFALPA today reminding all of the IATA in-flight Broadcast Procedures for this area.

rcsa 3rd Sep 2018 18:08

I know this problem relates to airspace and ATC problems, not ET as an airline; but for me this is yet another reason to avoid Ethiopian, along with chicken-bus levels of in-flight service, filthy aircraft, demotivated cabin crew, and Bole International - without doubt the world's worst major international airport (yes, even worse that JFK!).

Kenya Airways is losing passengers because of its greedy ticket pricing, needed to pay for the rather grandiose new Nairobi airport, I imagine. But at least KQ operates like a proper airline, not an African bus service with wings.

ATC Watcher 4th Sep 2018 08:17


4.Addis airspace is currently manned by retired Controllers with no current validation,who have no understanding of current airspace procedures,who are overwhelmed,and unable to copy correct estimates.
This is the real issue here, and the problem with hand overs / estimates at the border between 2 centers/ sectors. . There the IATA IFB does not help much. The Nantes collision in France in 1973 ( where unlicensed military controllers were forced to take over civil airspace during a ATC strike ) occurred during a transfer following a wrong estimate. I though lessons had been learned after that one .
On a side note , at the time (1973) IFALPA was stronger and had asked its members not to fly under those conditions and it was followed. Sadly not the case anymore today in a financially driven airline business .


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