A further round of talks is scheduled to start at 14:00 on Monday between Poland’s Air Navigation Services Agency (PAZP) and the striking ZZKRL traffic controllers’ union, the two parties announced in a joint press release following talks on Sunday.
Negotiations between the air traffic controllers’ union and PAZP have been continuing since early April. The controllers are demanding pay rises and changes to safety and work conditions.
The joint press release reported that Sunday’s talks had focused primarily on pay issues and that PAZP had sent comments and a position to the union on Saturday having analysed their demands.
“The parties held talks on the comments and position of the employer (PAZP – PAP) on the proposed changes to the remuneration regulation,” the release said.
The matter will also be discussed by the lower house of parliament’s sub-committee on air transport, which will convene at 10:00 on Monday.
If no agreement is reached, Warsaw’s two airports may soon see two-thirds of their regular flights cancelled, the Eurocontrol aviation safety agency has said.
Eurocontrol said on Friday that, from May 1, Warsaw will have enough controllers to handle only a 7.5-hour window of flights per day, between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the total daily number of flights may be cut to 170 from over 510.
Of about 700 flights over Polish airspace every day, 300 will have to be re-routed due to a lack of controllers, the organisation also said.
Earlier on Friday, PAZP said Eurocontrol had not yet decided on cancelling flights to and from Poland, and all flights should be unaffected after May 1.
The authority added that mild disturbances in flight schedules may be felt at Warsaw’s Chopin and Modlin airports.