SHORTFALL: Spain in desperate need of air traffic controllers as demand for flights continues to rise

SPAIN needs more than 900 air traffic controllers by 2025 to meet the demand for increased traffic expected in airports across the country, and to replace staff expected to retire.
The shortfall is within the public sector (Enaire) and private sector (FerroNATS and Saerco), according to SkyWAY, the aerodrome training school run by FerroNats.
Reports published by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, show that in the first nine months of this year, 5.7 per cent more passengers passed through Spanish airports than in the same period in 2017, a trend that officials claims is likely to continue.
A SkyWAY spokesperson said the ’management of movements in the airspace requires professional profiles with a very specific training’.
He added that for this reason, more than 900 controllers need to be recruited in the next six years to ‘cover the needs in all the dependencies of air traffic service providers’ including the towers and control centres.