It is still unclear what the background to this is and what corrective measures the operator EUROCONTROL has taken since then. The Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination (ATCEUC) is calling for urgent clarification.
“As air traffic controllers, we work in a highly safety-critical area and are particularly trained in the responsible handling of risks and dangers.” said Volker Dick, President of ATCEUC. “This definitely includes clearly identifying problems and promptly providing solutions,” he emphasized.
“EUROCONTROL has kept us completely in the dark for weeks and months about a potentially serious safety issue.”
As ATCEUC (Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination) recently learned, investigations by the responsible regulatory authorities against MUAC have been underway since July 24, 2024. Just shortly before on July 12, 2024, the same regulatory authorities found no objections during an annual audit and renewed the certification. Neither accidents nor major incidents were reported between these 2 dates.
The certification is a prerequisite for the operating license according to European regulations for flight safety. On August 30, a so-called “Level 1 – Serious Non-compliance Safety Finding” was identified. This is a violation of regulations, processes, or procedures that poses a “significant risk to flight safety.”
What exactly is supposed to cause a serious risk in this case remains unclear.
So far, the EUROCONTROL Director General suspended the MUAC Director and stated in an internal message on September 16 to MUAC staff that “serious concerns have been detected” but the NSA report will remain confidential.
“Considering the gravity of a Level 1 – Serious Non-compliance Safety Finding with associated consequences the only mentioning of ‘serious concerns’ is not enough. This also raises more questions within the aviation community on what is really going on,” Volker Dick added.
“This is very stressful for our colleagues in Maastricht.”
Thus, ATCEUC and staff of MUAC remain uncertain about what exactly has jeopardized the aviation operating license. “Secrecy in a safety-critical area is unacceptable,” said Volker Dick. He is demanding an unequivocal clarification as stipulated by the regulation regarding transparency.
Air Traffic Control is based on the highest level of safety standards and procedures and should remain so. The Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination (ATCEUC) is urging the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Executive Director EASA, and the 4 Member States (BE, DE, LU, NL) Director General Civil Aviation to disclose the elements of the violation as soon as possible. If corrective actions have to be taken, they have to be based on common shared facts with transparent analysis and be proportionate to the problems identified.