Helvetica Team - 10 Sep 2020

Press Release of the Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (SwissATCA / PVB)

10 September 2020

Professional and staff associations welcome the recapitalization of skyguide continued to the Coronavirus crisis. We have already agreed to participate in the work on savings that the company will have to make over the next few years. However, raising the retirement age of air traffic controllers has nothing to do with see with the necessary refinancing of the company linked to the Coronavirus crisis, especially more than the savings potential of this measure remains to be proven.

Studies and our own experience show that the skills we have need to perform our function decrease with age. So it is for reasons of public security, that it is not possible to arbitrarily make people work more years in the tower or in front of the radar screen without any thought or expertise prior.

The question of whether the careers of air traffic controllers can be extended remains open, however. The Confederation has already set a corresponding strategic objective for skyguide by the end of 2023, and we are already working on this subject jointly with the company.

Because of the peculiarity of our work and its sensitivity to public safety, we cannot in the current state make a firm and definitive commitment to any solution predefined or any other timeframe than the one already agreed. A comprehensive analysis of the situation and proper research will need to be done first.

The decision to combine the refinancing of skyguide with an increase in the age of the retirement for air traffic controllers is inconsistent, and we regret it strongly. We have already informed the federal administration and the company of our position and remain in exchange to ensure, in cooperation between the social partners, a responsible for the retirement age of air traffic controllers and without prejudice results.