State parliament debates relocation of aviation weather service
politics
The planned relocation of the flight weather service from Salzburg Airport to Vienna will occupy the state parliament from Wednesday. The black-green-pink state government should campaign emphatically for the federal government to remain. The SPÖ is now bringing this motion to the state parliament.
Traffic safety over the mountains is at stake due to the plans of the state air traffic control Austro Control, i.e. the Salzburg Social Democrats. Approach and departure procedures at Salzburg Airport are difficult in certain weather conditions. The personal presence of experts – who are familiar with regional characteristics – at suitable locations for flight operations is important.
According to the SPÖ, the planned sole use of digital sensors and webcams is not a suitable replacement. Air traffic controllers on the tower are often dependent on the sharp interpretation of weather data at short notice – and thus on direct cooperation with meteorologists who are familiar with local microclimates.
Also reference to federalism
The Pongauer MP Sabine Klausner and club boss Michael Wanner from the SPÖ will bring the application to the state parliament on Wednesday, where it will then be dealt with in a specialist committee. The mandataries also criticize the fact that government agencies are drawing further high-quality jobs to Vienna – at the expense of the regions. All other airports in the federal states would also lose their meteorologists.
The debate has been going on for months now. Austro Control rejects the criticism from the start and insists on the implementation of the plans. The centralization of meteorology is an urgently needed modernization for all of Austria. They increase flight safety. State-of-the-art technology is used.