The senator of the National Party, Javier Garcia, described as “failed” the announcement that the new landing system at the Carrasco Airport it would begin to operate from the early hours of Friday, June 19.
The former Minister of National Defense maintained that the “‘solution’ didn’t even last 24 hours“and that the system—that allows aircraft to land in very low visibility conditions—”It will only work a few hours a day and not on takeoffs“.
“UY air connectivity It’s in the hands of the union. given the passivity and ineffectiveness of the MDN (Ministry of National Defense)”, García said on his X account (formerly Twitter).
From the Association of Air Traffic Controllers of Uruguay (ACTAU) pointed out The Observer that the system, which is supposed to be operational, It was not used on Friday since there was no need to do so due to weather conditions.
This way, They stressed that it is used “in conditions of poor visibility only” and that to do it”“Certain procedures and monitoring are needed that one person alone cannot do.”.
For this reason, the agreement reached with the authorities implies that there are three officials per shift to use itsomething that, for the moment, will be covered with overtime. One of the union’s demands is that more personnel be brought in to be able to function properly. of the new system.
With those conditions on the table, from ACTAU they said that on days when there are not that many officials available “the system is not used”hence They announced that in the following days its use will be restricted.
The association had issued a announced on June 17 in which he announced that a “agreement on the minimum technical operating conditions of the new landing system“, which would make possible the beginning of its implementation, but in a “transition stage with operational restrictions“, with the aim of “maintain adequate levels of operational safety“.
They also maintained that although “there remain technical aspects and details to be resolved and defined,” the authorities had assured them that “The system will only operate with the required staffing and that the necessary measures will be adopted to guarantee this condition as soon as possible.“.
According to ACTAU—just as the Minister of National Defense, Sandra Lazo, has maintained—the differences due to the implementation of the new system They never constituted a “union conflict” and the claims were never “union claims”, but rather technical observations to guarantee safety.
“We are still far from having resolved all the difficulties and deficiencies necessary for the system to operate at its full capacity, so the current possibilities would allow operation subject to multiple limitations“they noted in the statement.
Senator García also complained in his message about the fact that the Minister Lazo would not have attended the Senate Defense Commission last Monday, to which she had been summoned to analyze this matter.
From the Frente Amplio, however, they said that the absence had been due to agenda issuessince at the time the commission was meeting the minister had a meeting in the Executive Tower.
days ago, Lazo had declared that there was “no conflict” with the air traffic controllers and that it was necessary for the “human factor” to be convinced. so that the system could operate correctly.
“And that takes time. So, If operating times have to be postponed to improve training and so that we all understand what we are doing, we will do it“said the minister.
The journey of the new landing system and the airlines’ complaint
The new system is started installing months ago and required a series of works by the Carrasco International Airport, such as changes to the paving of the runways and new lighting systems.
It is a technology originating from France that use airports around the world such as JFK in New York, the Charles de Gaulle in Paris or the Schipol in Amsterdam.
The system allows assisting in the approaches and landings of aircraft in very low visibility conditionsthrough high-precision instrumental aids and specific operational procedures, the National Directorate of Civil Aviation and Aeronautical Infrastructure (Dinacia) had explained in May in a statement.
This is particularly useful on days of low visibility due to fog, which historically have forced the cancellation or postponement of flights in Montevideo.
In that statement the authority had indicated that the system was ready to operate, but with the complaints of the air traffic controllers an extension was agreed until June 15, which was later extended until the 19th of that same month.
