Skyguide back to full capacity
The Swiss air traffic control agency, Skyguide, says it expects to return to full capacity shortly - three weeks after a fatal mid-air crash killed 71 people.
Immediately after the tragedy, which saw two jets collide in Swiss-controlled airspace, the agency cut the number of flights it handles by 20 per cent.
It cited safety reasons and the need to relieve staff who were under severe stress.
Skyguide spokesman Roger Gaberell said on Tuesday that the agency was now running at 95 per cent and that he expected it be to back at full capacity by next week.
He added that the controllers had received support from specialists and were now ready to take on a heavier workload.
Gaberell also said that measures ordered by the Federal Office for Civil Aviation had been implemented and that at least two controllers would be on duty 24 hours a day.
Shortly after the crash it emerged that a lone air traffic controller was on duty, battling with technical problems, when the two planes collided 11,000 metres above Lake Constance.
Swiss launch safety review
On Monday, Switzerland announced it would review its civil aviation safety system in the wake of the crash. The transport minister, Moritz Leuenberger, said independent aviation specialists – probably from Germany or France – would be charged with carrying out the review.
The independent assessment is aimed at improving air traffic control and its efficiency, as well as reinforcing international cooperation.
A final report is expected by the beginning of next year. Leuenberger said the inquiry should pay particular attention to the responsibilities and interaction of the Federal Office for Civil Aviation, the aircraft accident investigation bureau, the transport ministry and the Swiss air traffic control agency, Skyguide.
“It would be inadmissable and intolerable if Skyguide made savings at the expense of safety,” the transport minister said.
Share of the blame
Skyguide, which is owned by the Swiss state, has been blamed in many quarters as responsible for the collision between a Russian passenger plane and a DHL cargo jet over Überlingen.
No one has been officially blamed for the accident pending the results of official inquiries, although legal proceedings have been launched in Switzerland and Germany against the lone traffic controller on duty in Zurich when the collision happened.
Germany’s air traffic controllers have however reaffirmed their support of their Swiss colleagues. Joseph Willheim, head of air security in Friedrichshafen, said on Monday that the collaboration with Skyguide is satisfactory and that no pilots have complained about the work carried out by Swiss controllers.
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