Greek air traffic controllers are set to ground all flights on Wednesday in a 24-hour strike during the Easter holidays. The nationwide walkout has been organised by public sector union ADEDY, which said it cannot keep up with demand due to outdated equipment and staffing shortages. The Greek Air Traffic Controllers’ Association told The Independent: “Unfortunately, air traffic control in Greece is in a bad situation as we have staffing shortages and equipment problems which cause a lot of delays in the last years and will cause a lot this year as well.”
This is expected to cancel 70-80 flights from the UK, stranding 11,200-12,800 Brits meant to be flying with easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair, and TUI Airways, according to AirAdvisor. Anton Radchenko, aviation expert & Founder of AirAdvisor, said: “[Greece’s] airspace is a ticking time bomb, especially for island hoppers.
“Air traffic control strikes are uniquely disruptive because ATC is the backbone of aviation operations – without it, flights cannot take off, land, or safely navigate airspace.”
More than 20 easyJet flights are due to be cancelled, over 15 British Airways and Ryaniar journeys, and over 10 by TUI Airways. Other affected carriers include Aegean Airlines, Air France, and Lufthansa.
The cancelled flights would have been flying out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham, and into greek airports in Athens, Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, and Corfu.
People with connections in Greece before flying on to the Middle East, Asia, and Australia will also face disruptions.
Radchenko explained: “Greece is a highly popular holiday destination, so with its airspace affected, other ATC centers (in Italy or Turkey) will get flooded with extra traffic.
“This increased pressure on controllers in nearby countries risks potentially slowing down the entire European flight network.”
Despite the inconvenience, travellers will not receive any financial compensation because the strikes fall under “extraordinary circumstances” that are outside of arlines’ control.
However, those affected are entitled to free meals, accommodation, and transit to and from the airport under EU regulations.