Air-traffic controllers in Palma fear "operational risks" because of new parking arrangements

The controllers believe that this could result in "technical and operational" risk in undermining "the guarantee and continuity" of an essential service, especially if there are incidents such as flooding or computer system crashes. The airport operator, AENA, doesn't agree that there will be risks, though neither AENA nor the air navigation company, Enaire, which employs the controllers, has made a calculation of how long it will take to get from the car park.

Estimates by the controllers are up to 30 minutes. This could be longer in high season and on days with large numbers of passengers. This, they claim, will mean a significant slowdown in the rate of access of personnel to "facilities considered critical for security".

The spokesperson for the USCA controllers union, Beatriz González, insists that they are not complaining about being unable to park by the gate. Montse Palà of the control centre committee says that Enaire's management is being asked to negotiate an access route with AENA that will allow "fluid passage" to the centre.

In a letter sent to Enaire, various measures were requested "to minimise the negative effects" of the change. Among them are "periodic evaluations to measure the psychosocial consequences that the change in access will cause to the staff and the effects on health of passing through the security control detectors on a daily basis".