Air Traffic Controllers' Strike Cause Chaos At RGMI Airport

Air traffic controllers (ATCs) at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare failed to turn up for work resulting delayed and cancelled flights on Monday morning.

In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), confirmed the operational problems in a statement on Monday. CAAZ spokesperson Anna Hungwe quoted acting director-general, Margaret Mandizha, as saying:

This morning, we experienced an operational problem that resulted in our morning shift failing to arrive on time. This resulted in a delay in dispatching three aircraft departing from three airports.

ATCs are there to issue landing and take-off instructions to pilots, monitor and direct the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air using radar, computers or visual references.

They embarked on strike action on Monday citing fatigue and incapacitation, forcing their superiors to step in and rescue the situation.

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