Help coming for air traffic control

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 2

Help coming for air traffic control

PA Wellington More than 30 Australian air traffic controllers have applied for two-year contracts to fill gaping holes in New Zealand’s air traffic services. The Civil Aviation Division’s assistant director for air traffic services, Mr Laurie Coker, said the Australian controllers would help break the crisis in controller staffing levels. Mr Coker said last week that in the last 18 months 14 controllers had failed their medical examinations and at least two cases were related to work-related stress. Six of the failed controllers were in Auckland, the

likely base for most of the Australians. The shortage of controllers in Auckland is so great that airliners have been warned to expect delays. Special control procedures have been imposed. Mr Coker said the two years , the. Australians would spend in New Zealand would be enough to resolve the staffing crisis. ' It would , take until next year to bring the Australians to New Zealand and integrate them into the system, he said. The move is being made in co-ordination with the Australian Government, which had a surplus of controllers, Mr Coker said.