Air traffic controllers at the Regional Air Navigation Center in Dakar announced on Thursday that they will impose restrictive measures on air traffic if their demand for a reduction in their workload, which they asserted is “excessive” and “difficult to manage” under current staffing levels, is not met, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) reported.
The regional center and the control tower at Diass Airport are facing significant challenges due to outdated technical equipment used for air navigation services, the air traffic controllers told APS.
They stated that they had decided to take action after giving multiple warnings about diminishing air traffic safety and despite their resilience in managing flights over an airspace covering nearly four million square kilometers with the highest level of professionalism.
The controllers added that they bear a heavy responsibility in ensuring the safety of civil and military aircraft both in the air and on the ground under challenging working conditions.
But during an extraordinary general assembly held on December 12, they said they are no longer able to safely and orderly manage the air traffic entrusted to them. They have called for the activation of an exceptional or contingency plan by the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA).
If their request is not addressed, the controllers warned, they reserved the right to take restrictive measures to reduce their workload to a manageable level with the available staff and technical resources.
They also condemned the ongoing shortage of staff, a long-standing issue that was also at the heart of the September 2022 strike led by air traffic controllers at ASECNA. Staff shortages are a problem common to all centers.