At a news conference from “Mother Teresa” international airport, Balluku said that, “their strike for salary funding from the state comes at a time when the state has no financial involvement with AlbControl, as the latter is funded by revenues from air traffic. ”

“Traffic volume due to pandemics dropped by 57% in 2020, while in January, February and March the traffic was minus 57%. So the air traffic controllers operate 43% of the normal traffic volume, ” the minister stressed.

Balluku said that, “these controllers have received salaries up to ALL 444,000 and now they receive ALL 2 44,900.”

She confirmed that the state has never given a penny to Albcontrol, while the controllers have received salaries that are irrelevant to the standards of Albania.

“Faced with this problem, the supervisory board of AlbControl, has reviewed salaries, because AlbControl, is a company that works with the zero profit instrument. This means that the financing for AlbControl does not come from the state budget but from the airlines for as much as it needs. “Once in June, and once in November, it declares to EuroControl how much revenue it needs during the year to operate, be it operating costs, salaries, other payments, system maintenance, electricity, and investments,” she said.

“Today they receive USD 2490. Due to this cut, we have come under pressure from the air traffic controllers who demand the previous salary. Meanwhile the company is grappling with financial difficulties. This company has a legal obligation not to make profit, because it is impossible, ” said Balluku.

“This company has not seen investments starting from March 2020, as it has been impossible due to finances. Operating costs have been slashed as airlines have not flown. To be precise, the money that comes from air traffic, has been reduced in proportion with the amount of operations performed, ” – said Balluku.

According to her, air traffic controllers in 2019 which has been the last regular year in terms of air traffic has elaborated, processed, operated in total 216 thousand planes. While during 2020 and at the beginning of this year they operated 102 thousand planes.

“So the total traffic due to the pandemic has decreased by 57% in 2020, while in January, February, March, it performed -57%. So the air navigation operators, the air navigation controllers process for 14 months now 43% of the normal traffic, which for the last time has been in the Republic of Albania, as in the whole world, until March 2020.

Given that the state has no financial involvement with Albcontrol, it does not receive revenue from Albcontrol and has never given any penny to it, which is one of the principles of accession to Eurocontrol that states have no connection, financial contact with air navigation.

/r.e/sm/