«The APS is leaving airports adrift», say successful candidates

«ASEP is leaving the airports unmanaged,» claim successful candidates, from whom we received the following letter:

«The Applicants for Call for Proposals 1GB/2023 to fill positions at the Civil Aviation Authority, they summarize the proceedings of the practical exam.

On April 8, 2024, one year after the completion of the First Panhellenic Written Competition 2GB/2022, the final results of the first call for applications (1GB/2023) were released for the filling of 141 permanent positions by successful candidates from the competition for the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

The announcement concerned 92 positions for Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) with an age limit of 30 years, 9 positions for Flight Information Technicians (Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel – AFISO), 39 positions in various PE and TE categories, and just one administrative position at the PE level.

Candidates for EEK and AFISO positions are also evaluated through a practical exam consisting of two parts. Part A assesses knowledge and skills, and Part B assesses pronunciation.

The call for applications in question attracted candidates with high scores in a competitive exam in which the pass rate was 19.3% out of a total of 77,000 participants.

It was with great surprise and regret that we found that this call for applications ultimately did not yield the results we had expected, both in terms of the Service’s needs and the hiring of successful candidates. This came in the wake of strong protests regarding ambiguities in the definition of the material for the Practical Exam.

Specifically, following the publication of the preliminary results based on the scores candidates had achieved on the written exam for competition 2G/2022, the practical exam was conducted in accordance with the standards used by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) in previous exams for the EEK and AFISO categories. In this practical exam, out of a total of 92 positions for the Air Traffic Controller category, only 30 candidates met the passing threshold, setting an unprecedented negative record for the ASEP, as the appointment rate for EEK candidates stands at just 33%.

The cutoff score, set by ASEP, was announced on the day of the exam without prior notice, shortly before the exams began, and was 5 points higher than in the corresponding exams of previous years. As if that weren’t enough, the ASEP decided not to publish the exam questions, the answers, or the examinees’ scores, and furthermore, it did not allow for appeals!

In summary, of the 141 available positions in Announcement 1GB/2023 for the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), 34 PE and 17 TE positions will be filled. That is, we have 51 appointees and 90 vacant positions!

On the other hand, the need for staff in this particular department is urgent! The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), in several announcements—most recently on April 4, 2024, in which it called for a work stoppage—is appealing for the immediate hiring of staff, as staffing shortages average 20% and reach as high as 40% in certain positions.

At the same time, 10 days before the results were announced, when relevant ministers come out and boast that they are announcing job openings but cannot find qualified candidates to fill them, it raises questions, especially since the candidates’ scores have not been announced.

Such statements disparage distinguished individuals—scientists who are qualified both formally (degrees, work experience, etc.) as well as in terms of substance, since the HCAA candidates received some of the highest scores on the written exam 2G/2022.

Finally, an air traffic controller undergoes 3 to 7 years of training, depending on their specialty, before taking up their post, so it is clear that this is not a position where someone with a standard 6-month training program would be assigned routine duties. In any case, when they assume their duties, they are fully qualified.

All of us who passed the HCAA exam—which was a lifelong dream for us—are not asking for our appointment as a favor. We demand transparency and meritocracy! We want to know why we are not qualified to serve in the Civil Aviation Authority.

We would like to know why the passing score for the practical exam was raised and why our scores were not published.

We were denied the opportunity to prove whether we are qualified for the responsible position of Air Traffic Controller, through the rigorous training process—a process that demonstrates in practice whether we are capable, rather than merely on paper and without understanding the how and the why!».