Mayor calls for air traffic staff to be replaced by military after EasyJet near miss
It comes after an EasyJet flight was involved in an incredible near-miss incident last week
A French mayor has argued that air traffic controllers should be replaced with military personnel following a near-miss accident involving an EasyJet flight at Nice airport. On September 21, EasyJet flight 4706 to Nantes experienced a near-miss incident with a Tunisian Nouvelair jet.
Reportedly, the flight was forced to apply power in order to avoid a collision. According to preliminary findings from the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) investigation, the aircraft from Tunisia was preparing to land on the incorrect runway - as a result, the BEA is classifying the event as a 'serious incident'.
While the investigation is ongoing, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi pledged that he would ask the French government to replace air traffic controllers with military personnel. The surprise announcement was made during a Nice City Council meeting on Wednesday, October 1, with the subject not initially being put on the meeting's agenda.
'We've had enough of air traffic controllers'
Instead, the city council was debating a survey of Nice airport users with the goal of improving expectations. However, during the debate Mr Estrosi said: "At our next city council meeting, I will propose that the French government replace our air traffic controllers with military personnel. We've had enough of air traffic controllers and the DGAC (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), which is incapable of keeping them in check."
He later told the press: "‘We are increasingly penalised by the unacceptable behaviour of air traffic controllers in both Nice and Aix-en-Provence. This has economic and social consequences."
At the time of the incident, an EasyJet spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is EasyJet's highest priority and in line with procedures, we are fully cooperating with the safety investigation that has been launched in order to understand what happened."
If full, the two aircrafts would have been carrying over 300 passengers and crew members between them. It has been reported that the EasyJet pilot said there was only three metres between the two planes.
The mayor's request will be put to a vote at the next city council meeting.
Air traffic control in France is currently operated by civil servants. In order to get the job, they generally must have graduated from the French National Civil Aviation School (ENAC). While there is some airspace which is controlled by military air traffic controllers, this is currently not the case for Nice Airport.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, 72 air traffic controllers are currently active in Nice.