Colombia’s civil aviation regulator has referred to the prosecutor general an alleged incident in which an unauthorised citizen was granted access to the control tower at Bogota El Dorado airport.
Aeronautica Civil states that it has temporarily suspended the licences of air traffic controllers allegedly involved while a disciplinary investigation has been ordered against five other officials.
While it has not specified the details of the incident, a number of Colombian outlets – based on video circulating on social media – indicate that the adult teenage son of a controller was allowed to communicate with air traffic despite having no experience or training.
Aeronautica Civil says it will “forward the facts” about the 21 July event to the prosecutor’s office and relevant oversight authorities, so that they “can investigate any possible crimes committed by the officials involved”.
“Although the flight operations were never at risk…security protocols were activated, and actions were taken to strengthen controls,” it adds.
“This incident constitutes a violation of regulations that protect air safety and compromises the security of passengers, crews, and aircraft.”
Aeronautica Civil stresses that its commitment to air transport safety is an “absolute priority”.
“Any conduct that puts this at risk will be investigated and sanctioned without exception,” it adds, and points out that the conduct under scrutiny is not representative of the air traffic controller community.
