Christodoulides ‘stands by’ air traffic controllers, Turkish Cypriots say issue must not be politicised

President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday said he stands “by the side” of Greek Cypriot air traffic controllers in their endeavours to manage the disputed airspace above and around Cyprus, while Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ trade union leader Kursad Hudaverdioglu stressed that aviation safety must not be politicised. “Let me first mention that an excellent, professional job is being done by the air traffic controllers. Our country controls a large flight information region, [and has] a large area control centre. They have increased responsibilities. They always respond with professionalism despite the challenges,” Christodoulides said. He added that “actions are being taken, especially at the European level” regarding reports of recent “near misses” between aircraft in disputed airspace in and around Cyprus, “because they do not only concern the Republic of Cyprus, but they concern flight safety, and they concern many European citizens”. Hudaverdioglu, meanwhile, said that the “true nature of an air traffic situation” is “determined not by political statements, but by examining radar records, radio communications, and all relevant technical data together”. Related Articles • EU air traffic union calls on Cyprus, Turkey, EU to engage to keep island’s skies safe • Civil aviation authority: Turkish aircraft in Cypriot airspace a ‘recurring fact’ • Union says Turkish air force deploys aircraft, drones near Larnaca, Paphos airports “For this reason, we do not consider it correct to politicise a traffic situation by definitively labelling it as a ‘point of collision’ or a widespread safety crisis before all the data is available,” he said. He also said that the presence of Turkish military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles in the region “cannot be considered independently of security conditions in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East”, and that in Cyprus in particular, “Turkey’s guarantor status is based on international agreements, and this fact cannot be ignored”. On this front, he pointed out that Greek F-16 fighter jets remain stationed at Paphos’ Andreas Papandreou airbase, saying that “while the military presence on one side is considered a security measure, presenting the Turkish military presence as a threat in and of itself is inconsistent”. He called for a “direct communication line” between the air traffic control tower at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport and “Greek Cypriot air traffic control units”, either at Larnaca and Paphos airports or in Nicosia, to be established, “if flight safety is prioritised”. Such a move, he said, “would not imply political recognition”, but instead be “a technical step aimed at protecting human lives”. “For us, there is no flag on the plane on the radar screen, there is a human being first. It is precisely for this reason that we are against the use of flight safety as a tool in political tussles,” he said. President Nikos Christodoulides His and Christodoulides’ comments came after the air traffic controllers’ European unions coordination (Atceuc) on Friday called on the authorities in Cyprus, Turkey, and the European Union, as well as the international civil aviation organisation, to conduct “high-level engagement” to solve air safety issues in and around the island. Regarding air traffic controllers at Ercan (Tymbou), it said that their activities have “resulted in conflicts with clearances issued by the Nicosia area control centreand aircraft operating within the Nicosia flight information region”. The services offered by that tower, it said, “are not recognised within the international civil aviation organisation regulations applicable to the Nicosia flight information region or by other relevant international bodies”. Looking ahead, it called on the international civil aviation organisation to engage directly with “all relevant authorities” to ensure that its “regulations, decisions, and provisions are effectively implemented”, and for the organisation to “review … the absence of two-way coordination between the Ankara and Nicosia area control centres”. It also called for a “renewed high-level … diplomatic initiative involving the European Commission, the Republic of Cyprus, and Turkey, with the specific objective of restoring effective coordination between the relevant air traffic services units and agreeing on a practical, safety-based technical solution”.