According to Air Traffic Controllers’ Association of Sri Lanka (SLATCA), the number of operational Air Traffic Controllers in Sri Lanka is at a critical low owing to the resignation of 19 of them within the span of a year.

Speaking at a media briefing held on Thursday (2), President of SLATCA Thisara Amarananda said that if four or five more Controllers leave, air traffic movements will come to a standstill even without a strike.

If there is even a hint of a continuous compromise to the safety of air traffic movements, the International Civil Aviation Organization will be compelled to delegate the provision of Air Traffic Services over the high seas to a capable country, they said.

During this press conference, the Association requested immediate intervention from the President himself to resolve this matter as the threat of losing our airspace to a neighboring country is no exaggeration. (NewsWire)

Full statement: