Hungarian Air Traffic Controllers Charge System is Dangerous

BUDAPEST, Aug 25, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) A group of Hungarian air traffic controllers have filed an official complaint over the safety of a new air traffic control system at Budapest Ferihegy airport, their union head said Thursday.

"Radio communications have stopped for eight to 10 minutes several times", since the new US-made system, Eurocat 2000, was installed in Budapest airport in December, air traffic controller Gyoergy Metes told the MTI news agency.

"Traffic controllers are certain that the system is faulty and jeopardizes the safety of traffic," said Metes, head of the Independent Union of Air Traffic Controllers, which filed the complaint.

The controllers want police to investigate their boss, who they claim has neglected to look into fixing the system.

But director Laszlo Kiss countered that the system was under continuous maintenance.

"American experts are working in Budapest this moment to monitor the system and intervene immediately if needed," he told MTI.

His deputy Zoltan Antall said the new system proved faulty only 22 times since testing began 10 months ago, while the former control centre went wrong 125 times during its last 10 months of operation. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)

http://www.centraleurope.com/hungarytoday/news.php3?id=192700

-- Doris (reaper1@mindspring.com), August 26, 2000