Controversial: Innsbruck aviation weather service is closed

Meteorologists at work (Photo: ZAMG).
Meteorologists at work (Photo: ZAMG).

Controversial: Innsbruck aviation weather service is closed

Meteorologists at work (Photo: ZAMG).
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The flight weather service that has been operating at Innsbruck Airport is about to be shut down. The previous activity is to be carried out from Vienna in the future. On the other hand, the ACG works council, the union, the airport and the state of Tyrol are up in arms.

So far, six meteorologists have been responsible for compiling the weather data for air traffic in Innsbruck. Austro Control wants to switch to a new "Polaris" system. The consequence of this: the office in Tyrol is to be closed and at the same time additional posts are to be created in Vienna. The Ministry of Transport, headed by Leonore Gewessler (Greens), who never misses an opportunity to publicly express her dislike of aviation, sees no problem at all with the change that has been decided upon.

The ÖVP deputy Hermann Gahr submitted a petition to the ministry calling for the maintenance of the Innsbruck aviation weather service. However, this did not meet with approval because, according to the Tiroler Tageszeitung, it was argued that there would be an international trend towards automated weather monitoring. So you can maintain the office at any location in Austria.

The Gewessler Ministry also writes that the dissolution in Innsbruck and the switch to Polaris would reduce costs and that would correspond to the order in terms of greater efficiency. "With the modernization of service provision, which has long been standard internationally, and the associated increase in efficiency, Austro Control is making a decisive contribution to this order," says the ministry, among others. Nothing should be left to change the decision, so that there will be no on-site flight weather service in Innsbruck from 2024. In Vienna-Schwechat, what the Ministry of Transport believes is the most modern meteorological center in Europe will then go into operation.

Valluga weather radar broken since 2017

The state of Tyrol and the federal government are also arguing about a weather radar that has been defective since 2017 and is located on the Valluga near the state border with Vorarlberg. A lightning strike knocked it out a few years ago, but it hasn't been repaired or replaced yet. The federal government no longer wants to finance this and has even terminated the contract in the meantime. Deputy Governor Josef Geisler (ÖVP) cannot understand the behavior of the Gewessler Ministry and even points out that the weather radar system is being expanded across Europe and in Austria the exact opposite is the case. The politician also points out that the state central institute for meteorology and geodynamics expressly supports the facility in Tyrol. The small but fine problem: The ZAMG is not subordinate to the Gewessler Ministry, but to the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, i.e. Martin Polaschek (ÖVP). So the problem is more that the green-led department (infrastructure) does not want to spend money on something that indirectly benefits a black-led department.

In Tyrol and Vorarlberg there is great resentment, because from the point of view of state politics, important weather stations are not or will soon no longer be available both at Innsbruck Airport and on the Valluga. The state governments have asked the ZAMG to draw up a kind of cost estimate and have indicated their willingness to jointly set up funds to take on the co-financing. However, the federal government must also do its part and the Ministry of Infrastructure does not want that from today's perspective. The calculation of the ZAMG should be available in autumn and then the regional councilors want to put pressure on the federal government to bring the weather radar on the Valluga back on the grid as quickly as possible.

ACG Central Works Council even accuses Postenschacher

Philip Wohlgemuth, Tyrol's ÖGB chairman, explains to the Tiroler Tageszeitung about the overall situation regarding the impending dissolution of the flight weather service at Innsbruck Airport, among other things, that he considers the procedure decided to be "grossly negligent". The employee representative argues, among other things, with the special geographical location of the airport, which makes it necessary for meteorologists to be on site. Anything else would have negative effects and possibly also on air traffic control, according to the trade unionist, who describes Austro Control's behavior as "irresponsible and grossly negligent".

Behind the scenes there is even more simmering within ACG, because the Tiroler Tageszeitung quotes the statement by the central works council of Austro Control as follows: “Polaris in its present form is unsuitable for putting the flight weather service on a sustainable footing. Quality and services are thus reduced to a minimum. This leads to negative effects from an economic and ecological point of view for all stakeholders, such as airports or airlines”. The employee representatives also expect that there will be a significant increase in go-arounds, alternate landings, delays and ultimately more carbon dioxide emissions.

However, that is not the only point of criticism from the works councils, because they accuse the senior employees of internal post-hunting for the increase in Vienna-Schwechat. Basically, the positions would already be taken before they are even advertised. The meteorological staff would be reduced and at the same time "inflated" by 13 more administrative positions. These jobs have already been taken, so the employee representatives are talking about Postenschacher.

Austro Control does not want to leave this accusation uncommented and told the Tiroler Tageszeitung, among other things: "With the Polaris project, Austro Control is taking a decisive step towards modernizing flight meteorology in Austria in terms of further increasing aviation safety and in line with international standards the most modern technologies available, which will be procured and deployed as part of the project. The future filling of positions will be transparent and therefore with the most suitable candidates".

2 Comments

  • Dr Christoph Buchberger , 1. September 2022 @ 09: 33

    Behind the 6 meteorologists in INN there are also 6 families who live here and have their main focus in Tyrol. You can't rationalize them away so easily or just hold out the prospect of new jobs in Vienna, .but that was the case at AUA with the old former Tyrolean jobs...!

  • Mark , 1. September 2022 @ 15: 12

    Sorry, but it's always the same. The east of Austria doesn't care about the rest of Austria. Should be taken into account in the West in the federal elections ....
    You can digitize everything and thus replace it. Jobs will be lost and the shortage of skilled workers will increase again, because then you have to go to university for secure jobs. We know that, don't we? ...we already have. Apparently we haven't understood it yet again. Too bad.

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2 Comments

  • Dr Christoph Buchberger , 1. September 2022 @ 09: 33

    Behind the 6 meteorologists in INN there are also 6 families who live here and have their main focus in Tyrol. You can't rationalize them away so easily or just hold out the prospect of new jobs in Vienna, .but that was the case at AUA with the old former Tyrolean jobs...!

  • Mark , 1. September 2022 @ 15: 12

    Sorry, but it's always the same. The east of Austria doesn't care about the rest of Austria. Should be taken into account in the West in the federal elections ....
    You can digitize everything and thus replace it. Jobs will be lost and the shortage of skilled workers will increase again, because then you have to go to university for secure jobs. We know that, don't we? ...we already have. Apparently we haven't understood it yet again. Too bad.

Leave a Comment

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This website uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn more about how your comment data is processed.

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