Due to a salary dispute, air traffic controllers at San Carlos Airport (SQL) in San Mateo County will no longer be employed beginning in February, according to officials.
Gretchen Kelly, the airport’s manager, declared on Wednesday that Friday would be the last day of work for the air traffic controllers.
The tower will be unmanned beginning Saturday, a situation pilots refer to as “ATC Zero.”
The airport said that although Robinson Aviation (RVA) had been given a new contract by the FAA for air traffic services, locality pay had not been included in the agreement to reflect the high cost of living in the Bay Area. Serco had held a contract with the air traffic controllers at San Carlos.
Consequently, current SQL controllers received employment offers from RVA that were far less than their present SERCO pay. All of the current controllers have, understandably, turned down RVA’s proposals,” Kelly stated.
According to the airport, it is collaborating closely with the office of Representative Kevin Mullin to pressure the FAA to fulfill its duty to provide air traffic services to San Carlos. Additionally, airport authorities are “exploring all options” to give Serco or the FAA back staffing for air traffic control.
“To emphasize the critical need for high-quality ATC services at SQL given our high traffic volume, IFR arrivals/departures, extensive flight training, complex airspace, and proximity to SFO we encourage you to file FAA Hotline complaints to raise awareness of this urgent issue,” Kelly stated.
About 500 aircraft and more than 25 aviation-related enterprises call San Carlos Airport, which is 12 miles south of San Francisco International Airport and close to San Francisco Bay, home.
The county made the declaration in the midst of fresh worries about aviation safety. An American Airlines aircraft and an Army Black Hawk chopper collided fatally in midair on Wednesday night close to Washington, DC.
According to officials, the chopper had three soldiers on board, while the plane had been carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. No one survived.
The collision on Wednesday was the first significant fatality in the United States’ commercial aviation industry since 2009.
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