On Wednesday the 29th of June, the head of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) Anita Oleksiak announced that an agreement has been reached between Poland and air traffic controllers regarding matters such as salary, conditions, and the length of shifts among other things. 

Holidaymakers have been experiencing rising pressure in the last weeks because of the ongoing dispute. They can now relax following what seems to be an agreement satisfying both sides of the conflict. 

Polish authorities had been given until the 10th of July to come out with a deal proposition by the upset controllers, who had expressed their refusal to comply with the new regulation practices which they perceived as threatening their safety. 

„We have worked out and agreed on a deal […] regarding changes to remuneration and work regulations […] We are keeping Polish airspace working and finishing the talks over the Polish skies” – Anita Oleksiak told Reuters. No additional details to the agreement have been communicated. 

In late April, Polish air controllers had already agreed on a temporary deal with polish authorities. This decision prevented a mass cancellation of flights during the month of May as 130 controllers had announced their readiness to quit their job if no acceptable proposition was presented to them. 

At the time, it was estimated that around two-thirds of flights from Warsaw’s two main airports (Chopin and Modlin) would have been cancelled.

Image: Caroline Byczynski

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen