• Claims no complete report to request meeting with Treasury, says applications called to recruit 50 controllers, controllers to submit report today   

While stating that applications have already been called to recruit 50 air traffic controllers to fill the shortages, Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Attorney Nimal Siripala de Silva claimed yesterday (15) that the Sri Lanka Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (SLATCA) is yet to submit a comprehensive report officially requesting for a meeting with the Treasury and noted that the air traffic controllers are showing a lack of interest in the same. 

Speaking to The Daily Morning, de Silva said: “They have not yet made the request. I asked them to prepare a comprehensive report and write to me. Once it is received, I will send it to the Treasury. I don’t think that they are interested in that at all now.”

De Silva further stated that he would be meeting the air traffic controllers again today (16) at the Ratmalana Training School and notified that he would visit to formulate the training programme for the 50 air traffic controllers to be recruited. “We have already advertised in the papers on 8 February. We have given a three-week period. Once the applications are made, we will conduct interviews and recruit another 50 people. I’m visiting the training centre to find out about the additional facilities needed to train the recruited persons,” he added. 

However, SLATCA President Thisara Amarananda told The Daily Morning that a report of their retention plans would be submitted to de Silva when he visits the training centre today. 

Earlier, de Silva had agreed during a discussion with the SLATCA to arrange a discussion with the Treasury to review their salaries and allowances and to recruit 30 graduates to fill up the shortages of air traffic controllers. However, Amarananda told The Daily Morning that it was not a successful meeting, claiming that their retention plan is based on retaining people and that recruitment is not the solution.

Speaking to The Daily Morning earlier, Airport and Aviation Services Ltd. Chairman Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri on 6 February, said: “We will work out a plan for that, with them. We will not close the airspace just because someone held a media briefing. We will make sure that the work continues. This is a national endeavour. We have our all-time plan so we will work something out. As a country, we must have our reserves available. We will start working accordingly.” 

The SLATCA had raised concerns over a potential standstill of air traffic movements owing to the increasing number of controllers resigning from their posts. Issuing a statement in this regard, the association noted that 19 air traffic controllers have resigned from their posts within a span of a year