Air site visitors controllers droop strike in West and Central Africa By Reuters

By Ngouda Dione

DAKAR (Reuters) -A 48-hour strike by air site visitors controllers in West and Central Africa has been suspended, their union mentioned on Saturday.

The strike, which began on Friday, has disrupted flights throughout the area and left lots of of passengers stranded at airports on Saturday.

The Union of Air Site visitors Controllers’ Unions (USYCAA), which known as the wildcat strike, mentioned in an announcement it determined to droop its strike discover for 10 days instantly in order to permit for negotiations.

“Air site visitors providers might be offered in all air areas and airports managed by ASECNA from right this moment Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 1200 GMT,” the assertion mentioned.

The union mentioned greater than 700 air site visitors controllers joined the strike to demand higher working and pay circumstances.

The controllers work below the Company for Aerial Navigation Security in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) an 18-member state company that manages air site visitors over an space overlaying 16 million sq. km of airspace.

Throughout the area, airport operations floor to a close to halt as authorities tried to maintain management towers operational for some flights.

A whole lot of passengers have been stranded at Douala Worldwide airport in Cameroon on Saturday morning, nationwide tv CRTV reported. Nationwide service Camair-Co mentioned on Friday it had cancelled all its flights as a result of strike.

Nsoh Brinston, a stranded passenger who was attributable to fly to Kigali, Rwanda, mentioned his flight has cancelled.

“I should spend greater than I supposed as a result of cancelled flight. I should do one other COVID check which prices 30,000 CFA francs ($45),” he mentioned.

He would additionally need to discover a place to spend the night time.

In Senegal, the airport departure board confirmed cancellations for flights operated by Brussels Airways, Kenyan Airways and Emirates as passengers gathered to test if their flight was nonetheless on schedule.

A gaggle of scholars from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, who have been attributable to fly again dwelling from Dakar mentioned they have been caught on the airport as a result of they might not afford the fare to the town, round 50 km from the airport.

“We have been alleged to board at 0900 GMT however have been are nonetheless right here,” one of many college students mentioned, requesting to stay nameless. “We have now been instructed the state of affairs could possibly be resolved by tomorrow.”

“I used to be supposed to depart at 1400 GMT. The flight was introduced as scheduled however we’ve simply been instructed that it has been cancelled,” mentioned Maxine Compaore, who was alleged to fly to Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

In Ivory Coast, eight flights scheduled to depart the business hub of Abidjan on Saturday have been cancelled.

($1 = 666.7500 CFA francs)