PARAMARIBO – Several flights of the Surinamese Airlines (SLM) were delayed on Friday morning (today) due to an acute shortage of air traffic controllers. There were no air traffic controllers available for the tower at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport. This once again shows how vulnerable the staffing within air traffic control in Suriname currently is, says the Suriname Air Traffic Controllers Association (SATCA) in a just-issued press release. According to the organization, these persistent bottlenecks put pressure not only on progress, but also on safety within the sector.
Commitments not kept
According to SATCA, concrete results have not been achieved, despite previous commitments and consultation moments with President Jennifer Simons, including a meeting on January 26. Although air traffic controllers have acted constructively in recent months and have fully fulfilled their responsibilities, little progress has been made on crucial files, according to the organization. This has direct consequences for operational stability and the future of aviation services.
The organization points to several structural problems that have been going on for some time. For example, the promised adjustment to the wage structure has still not been realized, which means that skewed growth within the sector continues. Positions with fewer responsibilities and without night shifts would in some cases be better rewarded than air traffic controllers and operations managers. According to SATCA, the payment of overdue overtime has also come to a standstill again, after this process came to a standstill in March of this year.
Low salaries for aspiring air traffic controllers
In addition, aspiring air traffic controllers continue to work under financial conditions that, according to the organization, are disproportionate to the difficulty of their training and tasks. They currently receive approximately SRD 5,000 per month, while promised improvements are not yet visible after five months. The allowance structure is also said to be outdated and insufficiently matched to the complexity and responsibility of the profession.
SATCA also makes critical comments in the field of recruitment and selection. According to the organization, the recent recruitment round did not yield the desired results, with more than half of the candidates possibly not meeting internationally established requirements. This increases the pressure on current staff, who have been covering structural shortages for years through substitute and overtime services.
Medical examinations are not taking place
Another point of concern concerns medical examinations and license renewals. Since 2023, necessary medical examinations have not been carried out, which compromises the deployability of air traffic controllers. At the same time, the need to renew equipment and resources remains as great as ever.
Despite these circumstances, air traffic controllers continued their efforts unabated, according to SATCA. Trainings have started as planned, stand-in services have been carried out and operational continuity has been guaranteed. However, the organization indicates that the willingness to continue running extra shifts under these circumstances is decreasing. After all, according to international guidelines, stand-in and overtime services cannot provide a structural solution to staff shortages.
Lingering problems
SATCA emphasizes that the problem has been going on for more than fifteen years and that successive governments have failed to implement a sustainable solution. According to the organization, part of the cause lies in the fact that managerial positions within the sector are not always filled on the basis of substantive expertise. According to SATCA, effective policy requires leadership with operational knowledge and experience within air traffic control.
Warning
The organization warns that continuing the current situation could lead to untenable and potentially unsafe conditions. Reference is made to past international aviation disasters in which shortcomings in communication, procedures and organization played a role. According to SATCA, these examples underline the importance of timely intervention and ensuring strict safety standards.
The SATCA makes an urgent appeal to the responsible authorities to urgently implement the agreements made. The aviation sector is classified as critical infrastructure, where safety, continuity and international compliance must be central. According to the organization, visible actions and measurable results are necessary to prevent further decline and restore confidence within the sector.
