Tempe rail disaster: Flights to be cancelled in and out of Greece as air traffic controllers join strike demanding justice for victims of train crash
Almost all commercial flights in and out of Greece will be grounded as air traffic controllers have announced they will be joining the country’s general strike.
The walkout is part of a general strike demanding justice for the 57 victims of the Tempe train crash, which happened two years ago. The air traffic controllers’ union confirmed their participation in the 24-hour work stoppage.
During the strike, they will only handle essential flights, such as medical evacuations, search and rescue operations, humanitarian aid deliveries, military aircraft, and other emergencies. This means commercial passenger flights will be heavily disrupted, if not entirely cancelled, for the duration of the strike.
The nationwide strike will take place on 28 February, grounding almost all commercial flights in and out of the country. In the past, courts have often declared the participation of air traffic controllers in general strikes as illegal.
The latest strike has been timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the rail disaster in which 57 people were killed at Tempe, northern Greece, in a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train. The crash on Feb. 28, 2023, exposed shortcomings in safety equipment in Greece’s railway system and led to the resignation of the transport minister.
But the official handling of the disaster has been criticized, with public anger over delays in the inquiry and allegations of a cover-up that the government strongly denies. Some have alleged the freight train had been carrying dangerous chemicals that ignited, producing an intense fire that killed many of the victims. Mass protests were held last month following a call by the relatives of victims, many of whom had been university students returning to classes after a public holiday.