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But the problem cannot be solved quickly because training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. | Thibaud Moritz\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n\u201cAlready last year, the delays in the European aviation network were the worst in 25 years, and the situation this year is likely to deteriorate further,\u201d Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas wrote in a letter to transport ministers in April, seen by POLITICO.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, Europe saw 35,000 flights on a busy summer day, this year we expect to reach 38,000,\u201d Tzitzikostas added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh demand puts considerable pressure on Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), some of whom continue to struggle with staff and capacity shortages,\u201d the commissioner acknowledged, calling on governments to start \u201chiring and training additional controllers where needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the problem cannot be solved quickly because training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. | Thibaud Moritz\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Calling for more controllers<\/p>\n
But the problem cannot be solved quickly because training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. On top of that, professional certification to manage air traffic is limited to a specific area of Europe\u2019s fragmented airspace, which is managed by 40 different ANSPs.<\/p>\n