Forto: There is a risk we will lose control over airspace and never regain it

(Patria) - Minister of Transport and Communications of BiH Edin Forto held a meeting with representatives of the BHANSA Trade Union.

After the meeting, he addressed the media, emphasizing that the problem is that the Slovenian company Viaduct won a dispute against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an international arbitration proceeding due to a debt incurred by the Government of Republika Srpska.

“That debt was transferred to BHANSA, and it became a kind of collateral victim for something it has nothing to do with. That is one problem. The second is the question of how Bosnia and Herzegovina will establish a precedent in paying such arbitration judgments, given the information we have that there are several other proceedings with amounts significantly larger than this one with 'Viaduct' – they are measured in hundreds of millions of euros. If a precedent is now set, it could apply to all future debts. That is a problem we must solve.

If we do not secure temporary financing for BHANSA, damage could occur that exceeds this amount of 110 million KM. If operations are suspended and if European institutions assess that BHANSA cannot perform its job in the best possible way, we will not only lose overflights that generate tens of millions of euros, but we will also lose control over our own airspace,” Forto warned.

He emphasized that control over the airspace would then be left to other agencies, and regaining that control could take years – if we ever re-establish it, BHRT reports.

“The risk is huge, and there is also a risk that all four airports will lose the ability to conduct regular flights. That is why I insisted at the session of the Council of Ministers that, while attempting to settle the judgment, we do not jeopardize BHANSA's operations and that we prepare a decision on temporary financing for this agency. The decision has been prepared, it is currently a draft, and we will send it to the session on Tuesday, so that through temporary financing we can align their needs and positions. If the decision is adopted on Tuesday and if there are sufficient funds, we will at least have prevented greater damage. I remind you, today it is Republika Srpska, tomorrow it could be a canton or another level of government. Bosnia and Herzegovina guarantees certain obligations – today it is the case with 'Viaduct', tomorrow it could be someone else. It is important that the responsibility lies with the one who caused the damage. We must ensure stable working conditions for BHANSA,” he concluded.

The President of the Air Traffic Controllers' Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vinko Malnar, stated that employees have been brought into a situation that has nothing to do with their work but with politics.

“Our job is safe flight, for passengers to reach their destination quickly and safely. We are a non-profit organization that imports 85 million KM annually, and part of it goes to the entities,” he explained.

He pointed out that these employees are not personnel who can easily be found on the employment register, but also that they see Forto's proposal as a light at the end of the tunnel.

Malnar stated that it is not “just” about 500 employees who would be left without part of their salary, which has already happened, but also their families.