[CANCELLED] Happy Birthday vACC Switzerland

[Hisham Omar]

March is a month to rejoice in, heralding the arrival of spring, the thawing of snows, and most importantly our vACC's birthday! Join us in celebrating this momentous occasion on the 1st of March from 19:00z to 21:00z.

If you're looking for a packed and dense single-runway airport that regularly features in the top European destinations, then Geneva (LSGG) is an ideal choice. With its lakeside runway and tight spacing, the jewel of the Romandie is sure to keep even the most tenured of pilots on their toes.

Prefer to experience the hub of Swiss aviation in all its beauty? Zurich (LSZH) is the place to be, handling more movements than many of our other airports combined and serving everyone from the humble GA sightseer to the dual-aisle jumbo on intercontinental journeys.

Since 2009, our community has been serving the Swiss skies with coverage both proficient and pleasant - now, 17 years later, our team has only grown and looks forward to welcoming many more years of merriment to come. We are continually proud of our association and its members who we sincerely and dearly thank. So join us in toasting to our future and celebrate alongside us, we hope to see you there!


Geneva (LSGG): Charts & Scenery
Zurich (LSZH): Charts & Scenery

[Hisham Omar]

A good evening to all,


Hoping this finds our controllers and pilots well, I unfortunately do not come bearing the best of news for our initial plans for a birthday event tomorrow evening.

Though such an event is a momentous occasion of enjoyment and merriment for our association, it is only a positive experience if the environment and staffing are both suitable on both sides of the scope. Recent staffing issues had cast slight doubt on the feasibility of this event, however we were hoping that, given its special nature and weekend timeframe, more of our ATCOs would have been available to provide us with their much needed support, especially on the APP and CTR levels. This being said, there only being 4 controllers in total on all aforementioned stations, we cannot reliably guarantee that their sectors would not be oversaturated, thereby detracting from overall enjoyment for both our controllers and the pilots they serve, as well as potentially impeding safety. Ideally, a minimal country-wide staffing would include at least 7 thin-air ATCOs, 3 of which on CTR and 4 on APP. Our goal of providing an enjoyable occasion for all our members can therefore not reliably be met.
In light of this fact and in the interest of avoiding ATCO fatigue, saturation, and further discouraging future bookings, as well as avoiding instances of overloads or lack of safety, we have the difficult to cancel tomorrow's "Happy Birthday vACC Switzerland" event without replacement. Controllers are free to cancel their bookings, amend them duly, or persevere to offer at least some form of service.

Though difficult and undoubtedly not the desired outcome, this decision was taken in the interest of all of our members whom I must thank, particularly those who contributed to or offered their support for the event in question. We sincerely hope to return to better and healthier staffing levels and, until then, appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Best regards.