As Rinas Airport Is under Army’s Control Government Decides to Replace Controllers with Foreign Personnel

The events related to the suspension of flights at Albania’s one international airport in the capital, Tirana have drawn the attention of the international public opinion, media and relevant bodies.
“Albania sends troops, police, to end flight control strike” was the headline of the report carried by AP and euronews, “Army sent into Tirana airport after strike grounds all flights” was the title of the extended comment by intellinews. com. The Hamilton Spectator entitled its report as following: Albania: Flight control strikers trigger political backlash. “Army deployed to Tirana airport as flight control strike shuts air travel” was the headline by AFP and Macau News Agency.
The coverage of the event is extensive and reading behind lines it can be felt the concern about what is happening focusing on the deployment of armed forces “to clear striking air traffic controllers out of the flight control tower at the country’s international airport in the capital,” and the government claim of a coup d’etat attempt.
In the meantime the events are moving fast. After the detention of dozens of air traffic controllers on Wednesday night the Minister of Defense, Niko Peleshi has clarified the decision taken during the late hours at the meeting of the Civil Defense Committee on Thursday. Peleshi stated for the first time on local TV that the Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku has been authorized to replace the controllers with foreign personnel.
“I want to inform the media for the first time on something. The Minister of Defense is also the head of the Civil Defense Committee and I called a meeting of the Civil Defense Committee in the late hours. This Committee, composed of several ministers, has received a three-point decision The first point instructs the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy to take the necessary measures to enable the return to work, even by replacing the controllers, whether foreign or domestic; to determine the criteria of licensing to restart the flights as soon as possible and make the utmost to resume gradually the works,” declared Peleshi.
For its part the Air Traffic Controllers European Union Coordination (ATCEUC) commented on the situation in both Albania and Poland, where three air traffic controllers were dismissed recently. It appealed to Albcontrol and Poland’s PANSA to urgently reinstate the fired employees.
“[I]n Albania, five ATCOs [air traffic controllers] have been fired because, due to the heavy stress they have been living with over the last year, exacerbated by unilateral cuts in salaries of up to 70%, their dismissal occurred after they declared temporary inability due to these stresses in accordance with the Albanian ATCOs’ competence scheme,” said the ATCEUC press release.
“It would be wise not to underestimate the solidarity amongst European Air Traffic Controllers when witnessing such clear manifestation of abuse of power that our colleagues from Poland and Albania are facing!” the organisation added. /argumentum.al