HCAA: 80 new Air Traffic Controllers sworn in
Source: Tornos News
HCAA: 80 new Air Traffic Controllers sworn in
The swearing-in ceremony of the first 80 new Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) was held at the premises of the Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA), out of a total of 97, as planned in the annual planning for 2025.
The new ATCs are all university graduates and were selected through the most modern and reliable competitive process of the FEAST program of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), which was implemented for the first time in the history of the HCAA through ASEP (Notice 2C/2024 (Government Gazette/issue ASEP/31-12-2024). The two stages of the competition were held with complete success from 5-3-2025 to 4-4-2025.
In the coming days, the swearing-in of the remaining 17 inspectors who will be hired in 2025 will follow, while in the first quarter of 2026, it is planned to hire another 72 VETs from the pool of successful candidates, formed by the same competition, providing a definitive solution to the chronic issue of understaffing.
The ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Hellenic Air Service, Mr. George Saunatsos, the Deputy Governor of Air Navigation, Mr. George Vagenas, the Deputy Governor of Airports, Mr. Alexandros Karydis, as well as senior management executives of the Service. Those present congratulated the successful candidates and wished them a good career.
The Governor of the Hellenic Air Service stated characteristically: “I am not sure who is more moved today, the new members of our family who are being sworn in or us. It was April 4, 2024, just 15 days after we had taken over the Management of the Hellenic Air Transport Authority, when we met with the President of ASEP to propose a strategic solution to the issue of understaffing of Controllers. A transparent, modern and rapid tender process, with the adoption of the EUROCONTROL FEAST system, and the simultaneous creation of a “pool” for three years, in order to ensure the continuous flow of new Controllers. The vision became a reality, and a new innovative provision was now incorporated into the ASEP law. The rest is history from today. ”
Of the 80 new VETs, 25 will be placed in Athens, while the remaining 55 will staff regional airports: Heraklion (13), Rhodes (6), Corfu (6), Kos (6), Santorini (4), Skiathos (3), Mykonos (3), Kefalonia (3), Samos (3), Zakynthos (2), Paros (1), Alexandroupoli (1), Ioannina (1), Chios (1), Mytilene (1) and Kavala (1).
The new auditors immediately begin the basic stage of their training, which according to the schedule, will be completed in May 2026.
The original article: Tornos News .
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