Cork Airport flights suspended for seven hours amid air traffic control shortage

Overnight suspension affects early departures as air traffic control staff shortages continue to impact Irish airports

Flights halted at Cork Airport overnight due to air traffic control staff shortage; early services affected.

Air traffic control temporarily restricted flights into and out of Cork Airport overnight due to a staff shortage, halting all activity between midnight and 7am.

AirNav Ireland, which operates air traffic control (ATC) at the airport, restricted the flow of arriving and departing flights.

Air traffic was restricted "in order to maintain safe operations", according to a statement from Cork Airport.

Operations were curtailed due to a last-minute staff shortage. 

Three people quit across the country on Tuesday, said a source, explaining that out of some 280 licenced air traffic controllers in the country, this is a significant loss. One left to take up a more lucrative contract in the Middle East, another over dissatisfaction with pension entitlements, and a third on medical grounds.

One air traffic controller was out sick this morning in Cork and had given AirNav Ireland reasonable time to find a replacement. With ongoing tensions between ATC staff and management, they could not fill the position, forcing the airport to effectively close to all traffic temporarily.

A spokesperson confirmed that all operations have now resumed, but a number of early-morning flights were disrupted, including services to Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Malaga, and Gran Canaria.

AirNav Ireland apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, saying: "Due to short notice [air traffic control] ATC staff absences on the morning of February 11, AirNav Ireland’s Cork air traffic control operations temporarily restricted ATC services until 7am.

"AirNav Ireland liaised with airline customers, the Daa Cork Airport and the IAA about the flow restrictions."

Working overtime

Many ATC staff are working four to five days overtime per month and fear they will be asked to work more.

Anger over staff shortages and pensions — which ATC workers say are insufficient and failing to keep pace with inflation — is among the main factors pushing staff to leave. Staff are frequently leaving, while training replacements is both difficult and expensive.

It costs the State some €1m to train one air traffic controller. Approximately 50% of trainees do not achieve their licence.

Meanwhile, a pause on recruitment and training over the pandemic has impacted the pipeline of new trainees.

The northern runway in Dublin Airport has been closed by ATC staff shortages 11 times this year, Shannon has been closed once and Cork has been closed once.

When runways are closed temporarily, even for a short few hours, it can reduce the capacity significantly, with a runway that could normally accommodate 30 flights per hour dropping to 18.

If Irish airports are already experiencing disruption due to ATC staff shortages, one source asked what will happen from the end of March when the summer schedule starts.

In a statement, AirNav Ireland said: "At AirNav Ireland safety is our number one priority. The company and Fórsa are currently engaged in discussion under the auspices of our internal dispute resolution board. It is not appropriate therefore to make any further comment while the matter is in process."

Staff shortages

Staff shortages have caused multiple other intermittent airspace closures at Irish airports in recent weeks, Niall Shanahan of trade union Fórsa, which represents air traffic controllers, told the Irish Examiner.

These closures lasted approximately 15 to 30 minutes.

Earlier this month, Shannon Airport closed for half an hour due to the lack of an approach radar controller after the night shift.

Staff shortages and an over-reliance on overtime have become an ongoing problem in air traffic control, Mr Shanahan said.

In January, the Irish Air Traffic Control Association and Fórsa made a detailed submission to a disputes resolution board within AirNav Ireland about the impact staff shortages are having on ATC services, including the reliance on overtime call-ins to maintain operations.

There is also a worldwide shortage of air traffic controllers. Lucrative packages are being offered in places like Dubai to recruit controllers.

One source said: “If you’re an air traffic controller in Shannon or Dublin Airport, and you’re living in Limerick or Blanchardstown where you can barely afford to rent, much less buy a house, then tax-free earnings in the UAE can look quite attractive."