Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis tried to sound calm on ERT when he announced that Athens International Airport is about to get 90 fresh air traffic controllers—because, you know, having enough people to land planes is sort of important.
“Ninety new air traffic controllers will take up their posts in the coming days at Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos,’ according to the ministry’s timetable,” said Marinakis.
Translation: the ministry finally noticed the control tower was staffed like a sleepy taverna in February.
He added the obvious:
“What remains is for them to be sworn in and assume their positions.”
In other words, the only thing standing between passengers and fewer delays is paperwork and a handshake. Shocking.
Why Now?
The timing is not random. Controllers had started refusing to handle certain routes, politely hinting that maybe—just maybe—the airport had more flights than staff. Think of it as telling your boss, “I could work 14 hours, but have you considered hiring… literally anyone?”
Marinakis, with all the gravitas of someone explaining that rain is wet, insisted the government’s goal is simple: “to eliminate delays.”
Athens will soon have 90 new pairs of eyes staring at radar screens. Whether that means fewer delays or just more people sharing the same lukewarm coffee remains to be seen. At least now, when your flight is late, you can rest assured it is not due to a lack of humans in the tower—but maybe a lack of chairs for all of them.
