UK

College learners forced to study remotely after bus driver strike


Go North East bus strike forces colleges to pay thousands for private transport for learners

Anviksha Patel
27 Nov 2023



A bus driver strike has forced over a thousand college learners to study remotely this term, leading to a rise in mental health concerns and at least one safeguarding incident.

The pay dispute between Unite the Union members and bus company Go North East has left students stranded at home while colleges scramble for minibuses, taxis and extra bus services to get select groups to campuses, clocking up thousands of pounds in extra costs.

Go North East staff walked out at the end of September after workers rejected a 10.3 per cent pay rise offer as neighbouring Go North West workers are paid 20 per cent more. The strike is set to run until the end of December.

College representatives told FE Week that classes have had to be reorganised to focus on theory so courses could continue online.

East Durham College has a contract with another local bus company Arriva, but with the strike ongoing at Go North East, demand for Arriva buses has skyrocketed.

The strike has led to students resorting to walking miles to college, or to an Arriva bus stop, which are more sporadically located away from the Go North East bus routes and away from college campuses.

East Durham College campus director Alfie Wilkinson said one 16-year-old attempted to walk 13 miles to college one morning but after his phone died from using Google Maps, the college declared a safeguarding incident when family members could not contact him.

“He tried to get a bus and two buses went past without stopping,” Wilkinson said.

“We had members of his family and college staff out looking for him because he didn’t turn up for college. We didn’t find him until three o’clock.”

A spokesperson for Arriva told FE Week that it was running duplicate journeys as a result of increased demand, but added: “We do not have any plans to introduce additional services at this time.”

The college is also forking out £5,000 for taxis for the most vulnerable students, such as young carers and vulnerable learners with educational health and care plans.

It has provided taxis for nine learners so far, implemented a shuttle bus for 76 students, and paid drivers’ overtime. The college is even offering to pay mileage to parents who can drop off multiple students.

“We haven’t got a bottomless pit, but we are committed to putting in the finances to safeguard the education of the students,” Wilkinson said.

Holly Ackroyd, an 18-year-old who studies level 3 animal management at East Durham College, lives 20 minutes from the facility but has been stuck at home doing virtual learning as she lives on a Go North East bus route.

“It’s stressful. This is my most practical year and I’ve literally just missed out on all of it,” she told FE Week.

The college told Ackroyd to book a taxi, but she said getting a booking was like “trying to fight with someone on Black Friday”.

“Before the strikes, I got a taxi home from college, and it cost me around £16. Now it’s around £28.”

At neighbouring New College Durham, deputy principal Alison Maynard has identified 996 students who have no way of travelling to the college, which is “seriously impacting their studies”.

The college is now privately sourcing transport for around 500 priority students who need practical lessons, those in IT poverty, those who have assessments before Christmas, and students involved in performance shows and catering in the campus restaurant.

“We are in discussions with the Department of Education on how to recoup the costs of the transport,” she added.

The effort will be extended beyond the holiday period for GCSE mock exam participants. For the rest of the cohort, the college has switched to remote learning, but that also comes with issues.

“We are seeing students becoming disengaged and reporting an increase in mental health issues,” Maynard said.

Local MP Grahame Morris told FE Week: “Our FE providers should be commended for finding practical solutions to support their students, but they simply should not be forced into this position.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Go North East’s utter unwillingness to improve its pay offer in the slightest shows its blatant disregard for the wellbeing of its workers and the communities they serve.”

Go North East was contacted for comment.

UK

Lee Anderson Says Votes For 16-Year-Olds Will Kill Off The Tories 'For Generations'

The party's vice-chairman made the admission in secretly-recorded comments.

By Kevin Schofield
26/11/2023



Giving votes to 16-year-olds will kill off the Conservative Party “for generations”, the party’s deputy chairman has said.

Lee Anderson made the admission in secretly-recorded comments at a meeting of Tory supporters.

Labour has said it will reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 if it wins the next election.

Speaking in September, a party spokesperson said: “At the age of 16, many young people are paying taxes, working, and engaging in all parts of society — it is right that they get a say in who governs them.”

But speaking at a ‘Lagers With Lee’ event at Cambridge Rugby Club, Anderson said reducing the voting age would guarantee the Tories would be unable to form a government for decades.

He said: “The Labour Party will bring in votes for 16-year-olds. I’m convinced they will.

“Now if they do that, you might as well just rip your memberships up now, because you’ll never see a Conservative, not in my lifetime, again.

“If you bring in voting for 16-year-olds we’re done for, you know, for generations.”

According to the Sunday Times, Anderson also claimed that the right-wing Reform Party had offered him “a lot of money” to defect to them.

But Reform leader Richard Tice told the paper: “Desperate Tories will make desperate lies to save their skin.”

 

High cost, low profitability and storage challenges: Is carbon capture a realistic climate solution?

NO

By Angela Symons & Leah Douglas with Reuters

Published on 25/11/2023 - 

Here's why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change.

Carbon capture technology is central to the climate strategies of many world governments.

It is also expensive, unproven at scale, and can be hard to sell to a nervous public.

This currently makes the model of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the air and storing them for money unworkable.

As nations gather for COP28 - the 28th United Nations climate change conference - in Dubai at the end of November, the question of carbon capture’s future role in a climate-friendly world will be in focus.

So where are we up to with carbon capture and what stands in the way of its widespread deployment?

What is carbon capture?

Carbon capture is a way of reducing carbon emissions by capturing them at the source or removing them from the atmosphere.

The most common form of carbon capture technology involves capturing the gas from a point source like an industrial smokestack. 

From there, the carbon can either be moved directly to permanent underground storage (CSS) or it can be used in another industrial purpose first - a process known as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

Another form of carbon capture is direct air capture (DAC), in which carbon emissions are captured from the air.

Carbon dioxide storage tanks are seen at a cement plant and carbon capture facility in Wuhu, Anhui province, China, September 2019.REUTERS/David Stanway/File Photo

How many carbon capture projects currently exist?

There are currently 42 operational commercial CCS and CCUS projects across the world with the capacity to store 49 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the Global CCS Institute, which tracks the industry. 

That is about 0.13 per cent of the world’s roughly 37 billion tonnes of annual energy and industry-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Some 30 of those projects, accounting for 78 per cent of all captured carbon from the group, use the carbon for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), in which carbon is injected into oil wells to free trapped oil. Drillers say EOR can make petroleum more climate-friendly, but environmentalists say the practice is counter-productive.

• World at risk of becoming 'hostage to CO2 capture', according to IEA's latest report
• MEPs call for militaries to be more transparent in reporting emissions

The other 12 projects, which permanently store carbon in underground formations without using them to boost oil output, are in the US, Norway, Iceland, China, Canada, Qatar and Australia, according to the Global CCS Institute

It is unclear how many of these projects, if any, turn a profit.

About 130 direct air capture facilities are being planned around the world, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), though just 27 have been commissioned and they capture just 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The US in August announced $1.2 billion (€1.1b) in grants for two DAC hubs in Texas and Louisiana that promise to capture two million tonnes of carbon per year, though a final investment decision on the projects has not been made.

High cost of carbon capture is a setback

One stumbling block to rapid deployment of carbon capture technology is cost.

CCS costs range from €14 to €110 per tonne of captured carbon depending on the emissions source. DAC projects are even more expensive, between €550 and €916 per tonne, because of the amount of energy needed to capture carbon from the atmosphere, according to the IEA.

Some CCS projects in countries like Norway and Canada have been paused for financial reasons.

Developers say they need a carbon price, either in the form of a carbon tax, trading scheme or tax break, that makes it profitable to capture and store the carbon. Without that, only carbon capture projects that increase revenue in a different way - like through increased oil output - are profitable.

• UN chief visits Antarctica, urging phase out of fossil fuels at upcoming COP28 talks

Countries including the US have rolled out public subsidies for carbon capture projects. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, offers a $50 (€46) tax credit per tonne of carbon captured for CCUS and $85 (€78) per tonne captured for CCS, and $180 (€165) per tonne captured through DAC.

Though those are meaningful incentives, companies may still need to take on some added costs to move CCS and DAC projects ahead, says Benjamin Longstreth, global director of carbon capture at the Clean Air Task Force.

Some CCS projects have also failed to prove out the technology's readiness. A $1 billion (€1.15b) project to harness carbon dioxide emissions from a Texas coal plant, for example, had chronic mechanical problems and routinely missed its targets before it was shut down in 2020, according to a report submitted by the project’s owners to the US Department of Energy.

The Petra Nova project restarted in September.

A model of carbon capture and storage designed by Santos Ltd, at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference in Brisbane, May 2022.

REUTERS/Sonali Paul/File Photo

Problems with where to store captured carbon

Where captured carbon can be stored is limited by geology. This reality would become more pronounced if and when carbon capture is deployed at the kind of massive scale that would be needed to make a difference to the climate. 

The best storage sites for carbon are in portions of North America, East Africa and the North Sea, according to the Global CCS Institute.

That means getting captured carbon to storage sites could require extensive pipeline networks or even shipping fleets - posing potential new obstacles.

In October, for example, a $3 billion (€3.5b) CCS pipeline project proposed by Navigator CO2 Ventures in the US Midwest - meant to move carbon from heartland ethanol plants to good storage sites - was cancelled due to concerns from residents about potential leaks and construction damage.

Companies investing in carbon removal need to take seriously community concerns about new infrastructure projects, says Simone Stewart, industrial policy specialist at the National Wildlife Federation.

"Not all technologies are going to be possible in all locations," Stewart says.

 CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

EU Policy. 

EU’s plan for money-laundering checks on football inflamed by Chelsea claims

By Jack Schickler

Published on 17/11/2023 -

Lawmakers say allegations of misdealing by ex-owner Roman Abramovich lend credence to their crusade against dirty money in sport, though others urge caution

Recent revelations about financial misdealings at Chelsea FC have lit a fire under EU plans to make football subject to tough anti-money laundering restrictions.

EU negotiators are locked in a battle over whether to include football clubs, agents and associations under the bloc’s anti-money laundering (AML) rules, which would potentially require major sponsors and even fans to undergo extensive vetting.

Allegations which surfaced this week of complex financial transactions undertaken by ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have given extra ammunition to those MEPs keen to put football within the rules’ purview.

“The Chelsea affair shows once again the inherent risks in the football sector,” Damien Carême, the French green-party lawmaker who is spearheading AML talks on behalf of the European Parliament, told Euronews in a statement, adding: “The fight against money laundering cannot endure any gaps … no risky economic sector can be exempted from oversight.”

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), citing leaked documents, alleged that Abramovich made tens of millions in undisclosed payments made via offshore companies, bypassing rules intended to ensure financial fair play in the sport.

“I ask those who are against: what more proof do you need?” said Carême.

MEPs see football clubs, agents and associations as a tempting target for illicit finance, and want them to report suspicious activity to the authorities — just as banks, art dealers and diamond traders already do.

That follows a 2019 report from the Commission which highlighted the game’s “complex organisation and lack of transparency” as a money-laundering risk, and a 2020 study from EU police agency Europol which alleged match-fixing by mafia-style crime groups.

EU member states in the Council are less convinced. At a Tuesday, 14 November closed-door meeting, known as a trilogue, MEPs and Council members met to thrash out a final text of the AML law.

They discussed but did not reach agreement on the football issue, three sources briefed on the talks told Euronews. The Cyprus Confidential reports from TBIJ broke just hours later, with the Abramovich story following early Wednesday morning.

Same goal

UEFA, European football’s governing body, told Euronews it shared the objective of tackling financial crime and protecting the integrity of the game — but urged the EU not to rush headlong into regulation.

“EU policy makers should appropriately engage with football stakeholders in assessing impacts and developing policy options that meet our shared objectives,” a UEFA spokesperson said in an emailed statement, warning that poorly drafted laws could pose “unintended consequences across Europe’s diverse football landscape.”

That may borrow from the experience of Belgium — which passed new AML rules for football after a 2018 scandal dubbed “Operation Zero”, which saw prosecutors probing allegedly suspect financial transactions raiding clubs including Anderlecht, Bruges and Standard de Liège.

The Belgian regime offers a cautionary tale, Euronews was told by Niels Appermont, an associate professor at Hasselt University.

“The existing framework doesn’t really correspond very well with the business of professional football,” Appermont said — as the rules are designed for banks not sport.

While anti-money laundering rules require checks on their “customers,” it’s not always clear what that means for — say — an incoming player transfer, nor how potentially lengthy vetting procedures fit into the tight timelines of a transfer window, Appermont said.

William Bull, an assistant professor at Maastricht University who, alongside Appermont, co-wrote a UEFA-funded 2022 study into the Belgian law, acknowledged issues in the football market — but questioned whether AML rules are the right way forward.

In the football sector, “everyone seems to be pretty much agreed that there’s a problem in terms of transparency, credibility, concerns about various covert dealings or payments through agents,” Bull said, but added that the “the jury’s still very much out” about whether existing financial-sector regimes are cost effective.

Chelsea did not immediately respond to Euronews’ request for comment, but in a statement provided to TBIJ said that the allegations pre-dated the club’s current ownership, and that the club had reported potentially incomplete financial reporting to football regulators. Representatives of Abramovich, who was forced to sell Chelsea last year after being sanctioned for his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not return requests for comment, TBIJ said.

‘Unbearable’: Lorry drivers and environment pay price of air pollution at Bulgaria-Romania border

By Cristian GherasimPublished on 26/11/2023 -

Hours-long border queues are taking a climate toll in Bulgaria and Romania. Could entry into the Schengen Area help?

Pollution is on the rise as lorries queue for kilometres on both sides of the crossing between Romania and Bulgaria.

People in Giurgiu, a border town in southern Romania have for years felt that the air they breathe is no longer as clean as it used to be. It gets worse nearest to the checkpoint with Bulgaria where hundreds of lorries wait for hours to be inspected and allowed passage.

Romania and Bulgaria have been EU member states since 2007. Their campaign to become part of the Schengen Zone - an area that allows people and goods to travel freely between member countries without going through border controls - however, is ongoing.

Being admitted into Schengen would slash border waiting times, congestion and emissions from running engines.

For tourists going on vacation, long queues are an inconvenience. But for drivers of heavy duty vehicles that transit EU borders on a daily basis, the economic and health impact is huge.
Slow-moving traffic makes air ‘unbearable’ at Bulgaria and Romania’s borders

“The seven kilometre bypass stretching from Giurgiu in Romania to the border with Bulgaria is packed day and night with hundreds of lorries,” Bogdan Priceputu, born and raised in Giurgiu, tells Euronews Green.

“Not only is the air dirtiest in that vicinity but the field nearby gets littered with garbage as drivers wait by the side of the road for hours, without amenities and sanitation facilities, to cross the border into Bulgaria.”

Until recently, Bogdan’s father worked as a customs officer on the Romanian side of the border. “I know that several times a day the air got unbearable due to the slow moving traffic,” he says.


Albania, Colombia, Moldova: Which countries are doing the most for air pollution and climate?

This English city is banning gas stoves in new homes. Here’s why

Things are not much better on the Bulgarian side of the border. For years the border town of Ruse has been trying to curb its air pollution problem but to no avail. People have taken to the streets to protest against the issue and it has even become a topic of debate in the European Parliament.

The river Danube acts as the border between Romania and Bulgaria. Bogdan explains that when he gets on his boat and goes out on the river he can sometimes see smog plumes gliding across the nearby canal. “I don’t know if it’s from the traffic, but the increasing number of lorries waiting nearby at the border sure doesn’t help.”

Lorry drivers don’t have it any easier.

“A couple of weeks ago I ended up waiting for over 24 hours to cross the border from Bulgaria into Romania,” a Romanian lorry driver tells Euronews Green. “Of course it was unbearable, of course there’s pollution. I am driving a chiller lorry and the engine needs to be running almost all of the time otherwise the shipment goes bad.”

What are the health risks of traffic pollution in Bulgaria and Romania?

According to Eurostat southeastern Europe has some of the EU's most polluted cities. Bulgaria and Romania have the first and third highest values of fine particulate matter - also known as PM2.5 - in the entire European Union.

This is only set to worsen as winter descends: studies show levels of the larger PM 10 rise as temperatures drop in Bulgaria, fuelled by transport, industry and domestic heating.

Pollutants such as particulate matter suspended in the air are particularly worrisome as they reduce people’s life expectancy, aggravating many chronic and acute respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, according to the European Environment Agency.

Excess traffic emissions put border communities at risk of pollution-related health problems.
Can the Balkans steer away from fossil fuels? Albania and Romania are banking on it

“Air pollution is one of the leading causes for pulmonary cancer,” oncologist Roxana Macarie, tells Euronews Green. “It also increases the risk of breast, liver and pancreatic cancer in all age groups.”

Roxana practises medicine in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, but travels frequently to the border city of Giurgiu where some of her relatives live.

“Traffic has increased significantly over the past years. There are hundreds of lorries waiting each day around the city, some with their engines running, to cross into Bulgaria. That can’t be good for air quality in the area,” she says.

PM 2.5 can also have long-term impacts on children’s lung function and development. This can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, which affects nine per cent of young people in Europe.

The environmental toll of keeping Romania and Bulgaria outside the Schengen area is adding up.
What’s keeping Bulgaria and Romania out of the Schengen area?

Both Bulgaria and Romania met the necessary criteria to join the passport-free zone over a decade ago.

They have received backing from the European Commission and the European Parliament. But the final green light has to come from the Council of the European Union.

They need approval from all 27 EU countries but still face opposition from Austria and the Netherlands.

Austria’s resistance stems from a broader dissatisfaction with Schengen and flows of migrants that cross into the EU. The Netherlands has signalled it might approve Bulgaria's bid if a series of conditions on judicial reform and anti-corruption fight is met.

A new vote is slated to be held next month.
What is the environmental impact of border crossing delays?

In a statement calling for Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen ascension by the end of 2023, the European Parliament highlights the environmental and health burden of delaying the decision.

MEPs say that queues faced at two countries’ border crossings can last from a few hours to even days. This translates into 46,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted each year, according to recent analysis by accounting organisation KPMG.

The added pollution inflicts “irreparable damages” on the environment and will have health repercussions for drivers, customs agents and people living near border crossings, the statement continues.

The European Parliament believes that limiting border crossings and obstructing the free flow of goods between EU member states do not align with the bloc’s climate neutrality goal, which aims for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Already, the years of delays have led to half a million tonnes of excess CO2 emissions, according to KPMG. This is the equivalent of over 600 GWh of electricity produced from climate-wrecking coal sources, or enough to power 60,000 homes for a year.

 

'Life threatening': An immigrant in Dublin recalls her night of terror during far-right riots

By Simran Kathuria

Published on 25/11/2023 - 

Journalism student Simran Kathuria from India had to shelter with friends for 14 hours as they were too afraid to venture out on the streets amid violent protests.

Being an immigrant in Ireland was a perilous experience on Thursday night as the city of Dublin was set ablaze by men in black masks.

Anti-immigrant protestors gathered in mass numbers in the heart of Dublin City causing havoc, and it became a nightmare for residents and non-natives alike.

Shops were looted, stores vandalised, police vehicles attacked and burned, public transport ruined to ashes, hotel rooms and immigrant settlements set on fire - all in the span of one evening.

On this one night, being an immigrant in Dublin felt life threatening.

The rampage swept across the Irish capital - and the scenes of destruction were shared widely on social media, too.

Many people hurried home early, while many got stuck, like me, with a group of friends. We were stuck for 14 hours.

Standing at a bustling shopping district near the riot zone we ran to the first safe spot, a nearby friend’s house, and took shelter for the night.

The roads had been blocked, barricades were in place, a police helicopter was hovering in the sky and riot police were standing with batons and shields as we rushed to safety.

We were hardly a kilometre away from the unrest and feared attacks after hearing countless police sirens.

Social media kept us abreast of the situation outside. Twitter was flooded with hashtags of 'Enough is Enough', 'Ireland is Full', 'Dublin riots', and 'Far-Right'. Supporters of both sides, left and right, started their war of words online.

“Come out people, take Dublin, fight for your country”, tweeted one Irish citizen. Meanwhile, another wrote: “It’s disgusting and I honestly, don’t think it was really about anti-immigration, but those thugs were just looking for an excuse to steal, harm, and cause damage”.

Irish Police patrol central Dublin, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, police maintained a large presence following a night of protests and violence on Thursday.

The reason for the riots was said to be anger over the Irish government’s immigration policies.

According to angry protestors, Ireland has opened its doors to foreign nationals with no checks and restrictions. This has, they say, made the country unsafe.

Ireland is traditionally known for its warmth and hospitality to foreigners.

Dublin is a vibrant city accounting for 17% of non-Irish citizens from at least ten different nationalities. The city typically embraces multiculturalism and diversity and you can often hear foreign languages being spoken on the street.

The changing demographics in recent years have attracted immigrants from all across the globe - pushing Ireland’s economy.

But after the incidents from Thursday night, foreigners willing to settle in Ireland and make a living may well now have an additional safety factor to consider. 

Twenty-six year old Simran Kathuria is originally from New Delhi, India. She moved to Ireland in 2022 to complete a masters degree in journalism, and now works in Ireland as a freelance writer.

EU
Airspace closures, staff shortages and ageing tech: What’s behind 2023’s air traffic disruption?


By Angela Symons

Published on 26/11/2023


2023 has been a disruptive year for air traffic control in Europe. Why is this, and will it continue into 2024?

We all appreciate the pilots who fly us safely to our destination. Some of us even clap for them on landing - much to the chagrin of fellow travellers.

But what about the hidden heroes guiding our safe path through the skies?

Air traffic control officers do the difficult job of keeping planes from crashing. Yet most of us had never even heard of them until they sparked travel chaos by going on strike this year.

When you know what it takes to become an officer, and the high stakes nature of their job, it’s easier to understand their demands for good working conditions and pay.

So what exactly is air traffic control, how do you get a career in it, and why has it been linked to so much travel disruption over the past year?

To find out what’s really behind Europe’s air traffic control problems and what it will take to fix them, Euronews Travel spoke to industry bodies, union members and the European Commission.

Staff shortages drove much of this year’s airport disruption and strike action.

The pandemic is partly to blame. The financial strain, health restrictions, low air traffic and uncertainty it caused put training for many air traffic controllers on hold. Being able to manage lots of overlapping planes is a key part of the job - and that takes practise.

“Adequate on-the-job training was only possible again when traffic levels had increased sufficiently to create a challenging practice environment,” explains Johnny Pring, the manager of Europe policy and advocacy at CANSO (the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation), a representative body of air traffic control providers.

It takes at least 2.5 years to train an air traffic control officer (ATCO).
France implements new law to limit disruptions during air traffic control strikes
France is cancelling more than 16,000 flights in 2024 due to air traffic control upgrades

Every controller goes through basic training, followed by specialised training in a specific expertise, such as Tower Control, Approach Surveillance or Area Control Surveillance. They must then progress to field training at the airfield they will eventually control.

Finally, they will complete on-the-job training with an ATCO who is qualified to provide it. At airports where traffic has seasonal peaks, simulators are used for training during less busy periods to help maintain competence.

As every airport varies in density and complexity, and part of the training is location specific, air traffic controllers cannot be easily transferred between different airports.

At Maastricht Airport’s Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) in the Netherlands - one of the most complex and busiest in Europe - the training takes approximately three years, according to Eurocontrol, an international organisation that works to achieve safe and efficient air traffic management across Europe.

Strict regulations govern the whole process and mean that most parts of the training can only be led by qualified ATCs. This means there is limited capacity for training, and staff shortages squeeze this even further.
What is air traffic control, anyway?

Air traffic control helps aircraft to move safely and efficiently through the sky.

Controllers are in constant contact with pilots, giving them information and advice to make sure they take off and land safely and on time. They give the pilots permission to take off, approve the route they’ll take, and ensure that aircraft are kept a safe distance apart in the skies, tracking their progress as they go.

In the UK, aircraft in the airways system are handled by NATS (National Air Traffic Services) and overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Eurocontrol oversees air traffic management across the European Union.

Various Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) - the employers of controllers - provide individual air traffic control at airports, which is specialised to each location. Controllers hand over to one another as an aircraft travels between different jurisdictions.

National Air Traffic Services personnel giving a demonstration in the operations room at National Air Traffic Services in Swanwick southern England, May 2017.

Andrew Matthews/PA File via AP

What’s behind the ATC strikes and why are some more disruptive than others?

From strikes to technical failures, it’s been a turbulent year for Europe’s air traffic controllers.

In spring, French air traffic controllers (ATCs) began a strike in solidarity against pension reforms. Then in September, London’s Gatwick Airport was forced to limit flights after its already depleted ATC team was struck with COVID-19.

At the time, easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren blamed understaffing for the disruption, telling a British newspaper that the way the service is structured, run and regulated is in need of modernisation.

The problems show no sign of abating. Just last weekend, passengers at London’s Heathrow Airport faced delays and cancellations due to ATC staff shortages and strong winds. On the same day in France, ATC staff staged a walkout that lasted until Tuesday and led to further disruption for travellers.

Why are air traffic controllers going on strike?

Firstly, the cost of living crisis has led workers in various sectors to strike over pay. Many ATC strikes have been called to demand wages that are in line with inflation.

Unions have also called for improved working conditions and support for providing a safe and efficient service for transport users - especially in light of persistent staff shortages.

Most recently, French ATCs have walked out over new legislation requiring them to register their intent to strike at least 48 hours in advance.

Tuesday’s action in France marked the 65th day of strikes by air traffic controllers since the start of the year.

French strikes are particularly disruptive as they also affect ‘overflights’ using French airspace.

“Countries have different approaches to how ATC strikes are regulated,” explains CANSO’s Pring.

“In certain countries (Italy, Greece and Spain), overflights are protected and the strikes only affect domestic traffic; in others, all flights are affected. This regulation is a matter for national governments.”

How is the pandemic still affecting Europe’s air traffic controllers?

The pandemic is beginning to feel like a distant memory. Flights in Europe are back to over 94 per cent of 2019 levels and tourism is booming. But for air traffic controllers, its legacy lives on.

ANSPs manage air traffic on behalf of companies or countries, and collect fees from airspace users. With flights grounded during COVID-19, their revenue plummeted. This forced many of them to make cost savings, such as cutting staff.

ANSPs operating under the Single European Sky (SES) - an EU initiative that seeks to improve their performance - are faced with further cost pressures. The SES sets targets for safety, environment, capacity and cost-efficiency.

While its 2023 assessment shows that Europe’s ANSPs met their cost-efficiency targets, it highlights that “for some Member States, achieving this was a result of not adequately investing in their post-pandemic capacity” - with knock-on effects for capacity targets. It is possible that this was a conscious choice to help cut costs in line with targets.

However, this is not the aim of the legislation.

Why are ANSPs so heavily regulated?

As IATA - the trade association for the world's airlines - explains, “Airports and air navigation services providers (ANSPs) are, for the most part, natural monopolies.” This means strong regulation is needed to ensure they do not raise their prices arbitrarily. It also aims to ensure they improve their services and maintain efficiency.

“In effect, the aim of the Single European Sky framework is to encourage monopolies to make the necessary investments with a view to being able to provide sufficient capacity and meet their performance targets,” explains Deborah Almerge Rückert, press officer for Transport and Mobility at the European Commission.

“Such investments could include training and hiring of staff, upgrading to newer systems, rollout of new technologies, radars and so on.”

All stakeholders, including ANSPs, airlines and professional staff organisations, are consulted when setting the performance targets, she adds, with differing views being taken into account.

In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates air traffic control. It has recently approved a hike in prices to enable the provider to recover the costs lost during COVID-19. This will see the average cost of UK air traffic services rise by around £0.43 (€0.49) to around £2.08 (€2.39) per passenger per flight by 2027.

With air traffic now increasing, ANSPs are under pressure to hire more staff. However, since they are prevented from making a profit under rules established by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), more work doesn’t mean higher profits.

An easyJet plane bound for Munich, takes off at Tegel Airport 

in Berlin, Germany, January 2018.Jens Kalaene/dpa via AP

Why do ANSPs struggle with recruitment?

ANSPs have found it difficult to recruit new ATCOs - a challenge being faced by the whole aviation industry, according to Pring. This partly stems from air traffic control being a very niche industry that lacks access to top talent.

As most ANSPs are civil service organisations, their staff have certain job security rights and tend to work until retirement - which is capped at age 60 in many European countries due to the high-pressure nature of the roles.

As the demand for air traffic control really took off in the 1980s, many of the industry's experts are now coming to the end of their careers.

“Looking ahead, many ANSPs will have to address a retirement wave over the next decade,” adds Pring, which could worsen the situation significantly if action isn’t taken soon.

Currently, slow or non-replacement of ATCOs after retirement is common practice due to budget limitations.

How has the war in Ukraine impacted air traffic control?

Still reeling from the pandemic, ANSPs were hit with a new unknown: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“[This] has led to unprecedented [air] traffic volatility across Europe,” says Pring.

As a result ANSPs face uncertainty in long and short term planning. They have also encountered fresh challenges, as ATCs have to adapt to new traffic flows due to airspace closures resulting from the war.

The route extensions resulting from the closure of Ukrainian, Belarussian and Russian airspace to European traffic have also pushed ANSPs off course in meeting their Single European Sky environmental targets.
Air traffic delays fell in 2023

All this is not to say that the safety of air travel has been compromised in any way. As Pring notes, “Throughout the pandemic and the recovery, the ATM [air traffic management] industry continued to deliver safe and efficient flight operations.”

He even points to some operational successes in summer 2023. Air traffic flow management delays per flight fell by 18 per cent from 2.7 minutes per flight to 2.3 minutes, compared to 2022, excluding weather factors.

During NATO’s major military air exercise carried out over Germany in June, ANSPs successfully managed to keep travellers flying with fewer disruptions than expected. Only 12,474 flights were directly delayed out of a total 293,928, or 4 per cent of all flights.

So how can ANSPs build on this positive momentum?

How can Europe fix its air traffic control problems?

Lundgren may have been on the money when he said that the way air traffic control is structured, run and regulated is in need of modernisation.

“Dealing with the forecast increase in air traffic and the increasingly complex traffic mix will require investment in technology - increased digitalisation or automation - and people,” says Pring. “So this is a major focus for European ANSPs.”

In France, improvements are already in the pipeline. The country has scheduled a major overhaul of its air traffic control system in 2024, with thousands of flights to be cut while it is installed.

The EU’s Single European Sky targets also have a role to play.

“In setting the targets for the coming years, it is crucial to strike the right balance between cost efficiency (which determines what ANSPs can charge their airline customers) and capacity and environment,” says Pring.

“Only in this way will ANSPs have sufficient financial means to invest in the necessary resources - staff and infrastructure - to service their customers.”

This is not the only role the European Commission plays in helping with reforms.

“The Commission is working with Member States to reform ATCO training, which is unnecessarily long and complex,” says Almerge Rückert.

It also aims to improve network management and system resilience by “allowing ATCO mobility across borders and/or cross-border service provision to fill capacity gaps,” she adds.

Such reforms to the Single European Sky would not only help to make service provision more efficient, flexible and scalable, but “should also help reduce flight cancellations in the event of strikes.”

Euronews Travel reached out to French union SNCTA, Belgium’s Union Syndicale Bruxelles (USB), and the UK’s GATCO and Prospect but did not hear back.