Because many air traffic controllers at Maastricht Aachen Airport are infected with corona, there will be fewer flights at the airport next weekend. There are so many sick reports that scheduling problems arise.
This is reported by Air Traffic Control the Netherlands.
No flights possible
“Air traffic control the Netherlands sees an increase in the number of sick reports among air traffic controllers and colleagues who are in quarantine,” the organization said in a press release. That is why a number of air traffic controller services will be canceled this weekend, which means that aircraft cannot land and take off at a certain time. This will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 February from 06:00 AM to 07:00 AM, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.
Only solution
“We played around with the schedule a lot, but this was the only solution for this weekend,” says Maikel van Leeuwen, air traffic controller and station manager MAA at LVNL. “By adjusting the service we can guarantee a safe handling of air traffic”.
Will happen more often
The traffic controllers expect that scheduling problems will also arise in the future due to the high number of corona infections. Because there are many people in quarantine, but also because fewer air traffic controllers are available because they were unable to complete their training due to corona. “We expect to have to take a temporary measure like this more often in the near future as a result of covid,” says Van Leeuwen.