Cyprus air traffic control centre has 90 controllers instead of 140

Cyprus’s air traffic control centre has around 90 controllers, compared with the штатный requirement of 140. The staff shortage in the Nicosia Flight Information Region (Nicosia FIR) was discussed at a joint meeting of the parliamentary committees on defence and transport, attended by Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and Transport Minister Eva Tsolakι.

The Cyprus Air Traffic Controllers’ Union (ΠΑΣΕΕΚ) has been seeking new positions since 2021: the union requested 40 additional posts and repeated the demand in 2023, but only 15 were approved in 2025. The new controllers will not begin working independently before 2028.

The union also points to growing risks in the air. On 19 August, a Turkish military Airbus A400M entered the Nicosia area of responsibility without communication and deviated from its flight plan, finding itself on a collision course with a passenger Boeing 737. According to ΠΑΣΕΕΚ, only the timely intervention of air traffic controllers prevented an accident. Turkey still does not establish direct communication with the centre, while the frequency of Turkish military flights and drone launches in the area is increasing.

The staff shortage will result in flight delays as early as summer 2027, the union warns, while the approach radar cannot operate around the clock for the same reason. By 2030, according to ΠΑΣΕΕΚ’s estimate, the centre will need between 40 and 60 additional controllers.

The union sees the solution in the creation of a state-owned air navigation services company: the Council of Ministers made a decision to establish it back in 2013, Parliament approved the law in 2019, and preparatory documents were developed with the involvement of EUROCONTROL at a cost of more than €2 million, but the company has still not been established. “Every month of delay means fewer staff, less operational flexibility and greater risk,” said ΠΑΣΕΕΚ chairman Georgios Georgiou.

Transport Committee Chairman Sotiris Ioannou supported the creation of such a company, following the example of other EU countries. MPs called for the recruitment of staff and the modernisation of equipment, planned through 2030, to be accelerated.