Kythera.News highlighted recently, the issues of the airport upgrade and the understaffing of the YPA staff working on it.
According to the latest information on the issue of fire safety seems to have an interesting development, as from the second ten days of March the D.O.D. has sent a secondment a second qualified airport firefighter at Kythera State Airport. The firefighter as reported by sources of the Kythera.News it appears that it will remain for 60 days at the airport. It is unknown what will happen after that. It has become «fabby» in recent years for the CAA to fill organic vacancies with secondments instead of hiring permanent staff. It should be noted that secondments cost much more to the Greek State as each seconded worker, in addition to his/her salary, charges the State's treasury with food and accommodation expenses estimated at €100 per day!
It should be noted that airports controlled by the Greek State and the Civil Aviation Authority are understaffed and their infrastructure is being devalued in recent years, while the Greek State, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have obligations and oversight over the airports that have been granted to FRAPORT. Important information is provided by the reportage by Maria Liliopoulou in the newspaper ETHNOS which states: «Tempe is also causing anxiety for aviation. Critical shortages and constant complaints from workers». As has been written many times in the «Nation», so far the airports of Ikaria, Milos, Kozani, Kythera, Syros, Naxos, Kastelorizo and Kastoria have been closed due to illness, when the only employee providing information to the crews of aircraft arriving and departing from the above-mentioned airports had to be absent.
The press reports are revealing and have caused public concern. Giorgos Konstantinakis, President of the Panhellenic Association of Telecommunications (A.F.I.S. Airport Flight Information Service) M.P.A.., sounding the alarm on air flights recently went so far as to declare: «So 70 people have to be killed and a plane crashes to bend over the understaffing problem?»
Latest development: they are rushing to staff the understaffed CAA!
New notice for the recruitment of 93 Air Traffic Controllers prepared by the High Staff Selection Board. In fact, according to exclusive information from Proson.gr, most of the positions will be for the Civil Aviation Authority in Athens and the notice will include a written competition.
It seems that after the Tempi accident, the Civil Aviation sector has been alerted, especially after the protests of the CAA employees.
What will eventually happen to Kythera? Here are the current airport staff!
According to the latest unconfirmed official information, officials of the Civil Aviation Authority (APA) were in Kythera and inspected the airport. Kythera.News will soon publish more information on this. But let's see how many people are currently serving at the understaffed airport and how the Greek government perceives the safety of flights, in view of the opening of the new tourist season. Currently working at the airport are:
- 1 Deputy Airport Manager & AFISO (Airport Flight Information Service Officer)
- 1 Plant Electrician and for the Medium Voltage Substation (16.000 V & 600 KVA) with secondment: An electrician is moved from another airport, at an estimated additional cost to the Service 100 € per day
- 1 Computer operator (secretarial support - Expenditure)
- 1 Refrigeration Air Conditioning Plant Refrigeration
- 1 Airport Firefighter
- 1 Airport Firefighter: Moving from another airport, at an estimated additional cost to the Service 100 € per day.
The evidence is all there for the taking, and it's calling for answers. And first of all, the local authorities, the Municipality and the private entities of the island must take a stand before it is too late. An accident - an accident, as everyone now knows, will be a crime if it happens. And it will not only be a crime, but also a «tombstone» for local and national tourism.
