Documentary Film Prompts ATC Transfer To Civilian Authority

Lightning destroyed the radar at Argentina's main international airport two months ago, and the government's slow response is putting passenger safety at risk, say pilots and air traffic controllers.

One pilots' association has reported several near-misses, but a separate pilots group and government officials are claiming alarmism, according to Reuters.

"The (defense) ministry... has tried to cover up all the problems that exist," said Jorge Perez Tamayo, president of Argentina's Association of Airline Pilots (APLA).

The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations criticized the government last week for its slow response since the March 1 lightning strike.

"The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) condemns the Argentinean Authorities' careless abandonment of accepted international terms of reference pertaining to levels of safety in aviation," the Canada-based union said.

"Any decision to delay the repair and return to service of this essential piece of radar equipment displays a level of disrespect for air safety in general and for the traveling public in particular."

Argentina's defense ministry is responsible for air traffic control and says pilots would refuse to fly to the South American country if the situation was that risky.

"An international airline, an American airline, wouldn't fly to Argentina if there was a risk. It would have legal consequences for the company's managers," ministry spokesman Jorge Bernetti said in response to frequent criticism by APLA pilots.

Bernetti said the primary radar at Ezeiza, the country's main international airport, was being repaired and Spain is supposed to loan a temporary replacement.

Several passengers at Buenos Aires' Jorge Newbery Airport, which serves domestic flights, have said they were "concerned" by the reported near-misses.

"It causes a feeling of insecurity and risk, both for Argentine passengers and foreigners, who aren't used to these things like we are," said Ana Giese, a Buenos Aires student.

According to the IFATCA, "There have been several documented cases of serious losses of minimum separation between aircraft occurring due to faulty radar coverage. Both controllers and pilots have refuted statements by authorities that air safety was assured with the secondary radar functioning. Both groups have expressed their concerns that aviation safety in Argentina and surrounding areas has been, and remains, seriously compromised."

Without a primary radar, pilots rely on a more basic secondary radar system and must wait 10 minutes between take-offs. That, in addition to recent strikes by airport workers, has meant serious delays for passengers.

Argentine air safety in general has been under the microscope due to a 2006 documentary film, "Air Force Ltd" ("Fuerza Aerea Sociedad Anonima"), exposing air traffic control system flaws during an upswing in air travel.

The film prompted Argentine President Nestor Kirchner to transfer air traffic control supervision to a new civilian authority. Officials blame air traffic control issues on years of neglect from past governments.

Enrique Pineyro, the film's maker and former pilot, said the current safety arguments reflect more widespread problems.

"Historically, the policy has been one of denial," he said. "The foreign airlines believe what the authority tells them. It doesn't occur to them that the authority lies."

FMI: www.ifatca.org, www.aa2000.com.ar/index.php