Shortage of air traffic controllers leading to flight delays with no end in sight
After being confined to their homes during lockdowns, Australians desperate to travel have found themselves confined to the ground waiting for take-off. A shortage of air traffic control staff is one of the reasons travellers are experiencing flight delays as Australia's airline industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. "It'd surprise many passengers to learn that perhaps the reason for the delay or the cancellation is actually because of air traffic control not being able to staff those control towers," James Goodwin, CEO of the Australian Airport Association, told 7.30. "If air traffic control cannot provide its service, it means that other parts of the aviation sector simply have to take up that responsibility … simply aircraft won't take off and land," he said. "One in 10 of our air traffic controllers were at retirement age and so 10 per cent of our workforce were going to retire in the next year or so," he said.
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