The Flight Safety Foundation Southeast Europe Cyprus (FSF-SE-Europe-Cyprus) has accused Turkey of endangering air traffic safety through repeated military aircraft and drone operations in the Nicosia Flight Information Region (FIR) without coordination with Cypriot air traffic control authorities.
The foundation issued a statement after local media reported on concerns raised by the Cyprus Air Traffic Controllers' Union as well as comments from the Department of Civil Aviation regarding Turkish military activity in the FIR.
The FSF said it “expresses its strong concern and condemns Turkey’s continued violations involving military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the Nicosia FIR, without the required coordination with the competent air traffic control services”.
It said the unauthorised operations were taking place in an area that handles international civil aviation traffic and warned that flights conducted without the required coordination increase the workload of air traffic controllers and complicate traffic management procedures.
Added risk and burden
"Such actions, particularly when carried out near critical air routes and in the approach areas of Larnaca and Paphos airports, create additional operational risks and place an unjustified burden on the work of air traffic controllers, in breach of the principles and procedures governing the safe and coordinated management of international civil aviation," it said.
The organisation expressed support for air traffic controllers and other aviation personnel responsible for maintaining flight safety in the Nicosia FIR.
High safety standards in place
Despite the serious challenges posed by such actions, the foundation said aviation safety standards in the Nicosia FIR remained at a “particularly high” level.
It stressed that strict adherence to international civil aviation rules and procedures, as well as ensuring the safety of flights and passengers must remain an uncompromising priority.
Source: CNA
