Air Controller’s Transfer Halted

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30873, 6 October 1965, Page 6

Air Controller’s Transfer Halted

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, October 4. One of the four air traffic controllers at Dunedin Airport, who was to have transferred to Wellington tomorrow, will remain here on the instructions of the Minister of Aviation (Mr McAlpine)..

The Minister announced this after discussions with the Mayor (Mr T. K. S. Sidey) and the chairman of the Dunedin City Council's airport committee (Mr H. S. J. Tilly). Mr McAlpine said the shortage of air traffic controllers was a nation-wide problem. “There are 63 vacancies for trained men, although we have just recruited 30 from Canada and Britain,” he said. Mr Sidey said the Minister would see if Dunedin had had a greater reduction in staff than other centres. Mr McAlpine had been asked for assurances that any delays in the use of radar would be temporary, that no equipment or spares would be shifted and that Dunedin would receive its fair share of new trainees to bring it back to the normal staff of eight controllers. At present Momona is without radar because of the shortage of staff. The equipment is under repair at the moment, but it will not be used after repairs are finished until there are enough trained men to keep it in full use. Flights in and out of the

airport would not be affected except in bad weather, the air control superintendent at Momona (Mr P. L. Stiles) said today.