Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK has welcomed confirmation from the Airport Director that daily runway closures will be significantly reduced from Tuesday 1 August.
The Chief Minister said:
‘I am pleased that the plan put in place to increase resilience within the Air Traffic Control team is starting to have a positive impact. I want to thank the Airport Director and his team for their hard work to move this forward so effectively. I also want to thank passengers for their patience and clearly I apologise where inconvenience has been incurred.'
A new Air Traffic Controllers’ roster will be in place from Tuesday 1 August which will mean there are only two periods of closure, compared to five currently, and reducing the total closure time by more than two hours.
Runway closures were introduced on June 12 to preserve overall aerodrome hours, ensure air traffic controllers’ mandatory rest periods are taken and allow essential staff training to continue during a period of acute staffing pressures.
Runway closures currently take place daily at the following times:
- 8:30am to 9:05am
- 11am to 11:35am
- 1:30pm to 2:15pm
- 4pm to 4:35pm
- 6:30pm to 7:15pm
From Tuesday 1 August only the two morning closures will be retained:
- 08:30am to 9:05am
- 11am to 11:35am
Airport Director Gary Cobb said:
‘While the introduction of the new roster is a positive step and will improve the passenger experience, staff resource within Air Traffic Control remains finely-balanced. Building resilience is vital for island connectivity, and the team are focussing on both training existing staff and preparing for new starters following recruitment as part of the longer-term strategy. We thank all airlines and passengers for their patience during this challenging period, and wish to provide reassurance that the team is working extremely hard to make your journeys as smooth as possible.’
Details of the changes have been communicated to airlines and operators.
