Finland Times

 

Transport minister, Merja Kyllönen. Photo - Lehtikuva

State-run Finavia, the authority responsible for maintaining airport networks and the air navigation system in Finland, has taken an initiative to outsource air navigation services to Estonia, triggering a sharp reaction among politicians including ruling-party leaders.

 

Lawmakers of Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), the main component of the alliance government, strongly criticised Transport Minister Merja Kyllönen for the move and asked clarification from her in this regard.

 

The lawmakers warned that the minister would have to pay a lot for making such a move after the initiative for outsourcing Trafi telecommunication services to Spain. 

 

Kokoomus members of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Communications Mikko Alatalo, Ari Torniainen, and Mirja Vehkaperä said if the plan for outsourcing air navigation services to Estonia was not changed, the minister would face a situation similar to that created early this year following the move to outsource Trafi telecommunication services.

 

Finavia on Tuesday disclosed that it had a plan to outsource air navigation services to Estonia as a part of its expenditure-cut programme. 

 

Implementation of the outsourcing plan may lead Finavia to terminate 28 workers, if it fails to arrange alternative work for them, Finavia sources said.

 

Although Finavia is yet to make any final decision regarding the outsourcing, insiders said there was a possibility of Finavia going for it to save money as service cost was cheaper in Estonia compared to Finland.

 

The air navigation staff is responsible for receiving flight plans of aircraft and transmitting information regarding weather and other air traffic to the pilots.

 

Earlier on February 23, opposition lawmakers strongly criticised the transport minister for the move to outsource Trafi telecommunication services to Spain. Perussuomalaiset (True Finn) lawmakers Juha Väätainen and Ismo Soukola said it would cost the country taxes and job opportunities, demanded explanation from Kyllönen in this regard, and urged the government to refrain from taking any such suicidal decision. 

 

The parliamentary group chairperson of the Perussuomalinen, Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner, said it was really worrying that the minister was not clued-up on the issue. 

 

If a government agency starts a move to outsource services to Spain, how the state expects foreign investment in the country, she asked.  

 

She expressed the apprehension that the move of the state agency to buy services from abroad might have wider repercussions.

 

File picture of Air Traffic Controller. Photo - Lehtikuva

Ruohonen-Lerner said it was just one case that had become public and there might be many similar cases that had not been disclosed yet.

 

Expressing her wonder at the government programme being replaced by a private one, she pointed out that the outsourcing process meant the government would lose taxes.

 

Earlier, Finavia barred air traffic controllers from working at Tampere regional control office. 

 

The air traffic controllers who had gone on strike Monday afternoon resumed work on Tuesday morning.

 

Air traffic control workers went on strike at all the airports in the country protesting at a Finavia move to shift regional control operations from Tampere to Vantaa.