EasyJet CEO urges reform after French near-miss tied to controller shortage

EasyJet has urged French authorities to resolve air traffic control problems after a report into a near-collision involving one of its jets cited staff shortages and absenteeism. "This clearly has been one of the weakest links in the whole chain of aviation; we know it has been an issue particularly in France," CEO Johan Lundgren said when asked about shortages. "They need to sort out the problem because there are millions of people struggling with this thing. The key thing is prioritising safety and they need to have a solid and resilient operation". France's DGAC aviation authority had no immediate comment.<br/>French investigators recently concluded a probe into the near-miss at Bordeaux airport on Dec. 31, 2022, when a controller apparently forgot that a private plane was on the runway as an A320 jetliner was fast approaching with 179 passengers on board. Crew were ordered to abort the landing after the pilot of the small DR400 - taking a leisure flight with his nine-year-old son - raised the alarm on hearing over the radio that the easyJet plane was coming in to land from London Gatwick.<br/>