With reference to the talks between the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) and the air traffic controllers, a meeting of the President of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with the PANSA representatives and the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) was organized on April 22, 2022. The meeting concerned a potential launch of the massive cancellation procedure, i.e. flights cancellation. At present the procedure has not been initiated.
Together with EUROCONTROL it was established that despite a decreased number of flight controllers, the flight operations from Polish regional airports and over Poland should be performed without violent disturbances. More irregularities are to be expected at the airports in Warsaw and Modlin.
Regardless of how much the air traffic is going to be limited, all flight operations will be performed with the preservation of the safety standards.
The President of the CAA, on the basis of tools and competences defined in Art. 21 of the Act of July 3, 2002 – Aviation Law, performs oversight over PANSA whose task is, especially, to ensure safety and continuity of air traffic.
Nevertheless, the President of the CAA’s competences do not cover the ownership supervision of PANSA. The President of the CAA has neither authority nor tools to engage in social disputes arising from the labor law in institutions he oversees.
Although the CAA is not a party to the dispute, it takes any possible steps to preserve the continuity of flight operations and is in constant contact with appropriate international aviation institutions, inclusive of EUROCONTROL and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
***
Information provided by Eurocontrol does not differ from the communication provided by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland.
We confirm that the massive cancelation procedure was not engaged. Eurocontrol provided the Polish authorities with its decision on how the air traffic will be organized in Warsaw and Modlin airspaces. Therefore the work schedules of airports are preliminary and the flight data is estimated only. These decisions have not yet been made and are still being worked on. Eurocontrol's information should therefore be seen as an announcement rather than an approved plan.
Information exchange between CAA of Poland and Eurocontrol remains consistent and continued. This is why the massive cancelation procedure was not engaged.
Overflights will not be canceled. Part of them will be operated within the Polish airspace, others will be redirected to other states’ airspaces.
The risk of flight volume decrease concerns Warsaw and Modlin airports only. Estimated staffing of Air Traffic Controllers will enable to perform 1/3 of standard operations’ volume. The organization of this process is yet to be determined.