Enlarge image
LOT airline machine: From May 1, a thousand flights per day could be canceled via Poland
Photo: Piotr Molecki / Eastnews / IMAGO
There is talk of a very serious situation: due to a wage conflict in Poland, there could soon be thousands of flight cancellations in Europe, said the European organization for aviation safety.
Connections to Poland could be affected, but also flights through Polish airspace.
In addition to the existing airspace restrictions due to the war in Ukraine, there is a risk of staff shortages at the civil air traffic control Pansa in Poland.
The reason is a conflict over new remuneration rules, which, according to the PAP news agency, came into force at the end of the year.
The period of notice for 170 of the 208 air traffic controllers will end soon
According to the European air traffic controllers' union, some Polish air traffic controllers do not want to accept the wages that have been reduced by up to 70 percent.
In February, air traffic control announced that 170 air traffic controllers at the Warsaw Tower and Center were on notice, which for most of them ended at the end of April.
According to the information, 208 air traffic controllers were employed in Warsaw in February.
Negotiations between Pansa and the union have dragged on for several weeks.
On Thursday evening, air traffic control received a new compromise proposal from the air traffic controllers' union for an agreement.
The catalog includes 24 points, including work regulations and a "transparent, objective remuneration table that is appropriate to the responsibility" and the reinstatement of pilots who have already been fired.
Talks continued on Friday.
The head of the Polish Office for Civil Aviation warned on Thursday during a meeting of the responsible parliamentary committee in Warsaw that if no agreement was reached in the conflict by Friday, Eurocontrol could decide on the mass cancellation of flights.
This could come into force from May 1st, as such decisions would have to be made a week in advance.
apr/dpa