Christodoulides backs air traffic controllers as Hudaverdioglu urges safety cooperation
President Nikos Christodoulides praised Greek Cypriot air traffic controllers, while Kursad Hudaverdioglu called for aviation safety to remain separate from political disputes.
Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that he stands by Greek Cypriot air traffic controllers managing disputed airspace around Cyprus, while Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ union leader Kursad Hudaverdioglu said aviation safety should not be politicised.
Christodoulides cites responsibilities and safety concerns
Christodoulides said air traffic controllers were performing an “excellent, professional job” in managing a large flight information region and area control centre with increased responsibilities.
He said they had consistently responded professionally despite the challenges.
The President added that action was being taken, particularly at European level, in response to reports of recent near misses between aircraft in disputed airspace in and around Cyprus.
He said the reports concerned not only the Republic of Cyprus but also flight safety and many European citizens.
Hudaverdioglu calls for technical assessment
Hudaverdioglu said the “true nature of an air traffic situation” should be determined through radar records, radio communications and all relevant technical data.
He said it was not correct to politicise a traffic situation by definitively describing it as a “point of collision” or a widespread safety crisis before all data was available.
He added that the presence of Turkish military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles in the region could not be considered separately from security conditions in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Hudaverdioglu said that, in Cyprus, Turkey’s guarantor status was based on international agreements and could not be ignored.
Proposal for direct communication
Hudaverdioglu pointed to the continued presence of Greek F-16 fighter jets at Paphos’ Andreas Papandreou airbase, saying it was inconsistent to regard military presence on one side as a security measure while presenting Turkish military presence as a threat in itself.
He called for a direct communication line between the air traffic control tower at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport and Greek Cypriot air traffic control units at Larnaca, Paphos or Nicosia.
Such a step would not amount to political recognition, he said, but would be a technical measure aimed at protecting human lives.
“For us, there is no flag on the plane on the radar screen, there is a human being first,” he said, adding that flight safety should not be used as a tool in political disputes.
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