Passengers on lunchtime easyJet and British Airways flights to London sat in the stifling air of their grounded aircraft for around an hour yesterday, victims of a rogue industrial action.
The unilateral action was by one or two individual air traffic controllers in Seville and has placed them at the centre of an inquiry ordered by their employers AENA. Seville air traffic control centre has for decades monitored the safe passage of aircraft to and from Gibraltar.
But the incident, though short lived, set off a brief fury of diplomatic activity on a slow, sunny Sunday that had otherwise been destined to be interrupted only by the drone of vuvuzelas heralding England's fall from grace.
A frenzy of telephone calls sought to establish the motives behind the incident mainly because the striking controllers had citied their motivation as non-recognition of Gibraltar air traffic control.
Whilst Spanish diplomats were able to act promptly to resolve the issue and reassure Chief Minister Peter Caruana that there was no political skulduggery behind the events, a separate row between No 6 and The Convent is likely to simmer on this morning.
Answering Chronicle questions a Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman last night flatly rejected there being
any ulterior motive such as a political response to the recent RAF Tornadoes exercise.
"This was the action of individuals pursuing industrial claims and we have been informed that an inquiry will be held into this incident. It has nothing to do with the military exercise or the Tornadoes and there have been no instructions from the (Madrid) government behind this," said the spokesman.
He pointed to the fact that the Cordoba agreement on Gibraltar airport had actually eased restrictions affecting flights.
Yesterday afternoon The Convent took a cautious line limiting itself to saying that there was a delay to the departure of aircraft in Gibraltar airport "due to co-ordination problems in Seville Air Traffic Control which prevented the release of the aircraft for taking off."
They added that the inconvenience was "much regretted" and indicated that discussions will be taking place to avoid a recurrence.
Prompt resolution of the issue was expedited by direct contact between Chief Minister Peter Caruana and Spanish officials as well as intervention by PSOE Senator Pepe Carracao. But whilst this was being applauded by all sides, a separate incident sparked tension between the Government and the Governor's office.
The Chronicle has learned that the passengers were initially informed, as a result of communications from the Tower to the pilots, that this was a political incident related to non-recognition of Gibraltar airport. It emerged that the Chief Minister, anxious that passengers should have the proper explanation, asked Director of Civil Aviation, Chris Purkiss, to request that the Tower inform the pilot and passengers of the final outcome and circumstances making clear this was rooted in an industrial action not politics.
Mr Purkiss, himself a former Station Commander, made the request but is understood to have had this rejected after Simon Dowling the RAF Gibraltar Station Commander consulted The Convent.
The move is being seen by No 6 as interference with the Gibraltar Government's jurisdiction and authority in Civil Aviation matters.
Meanwhile reports from Spain quoted AENA sources as confirming that the action was rooted in a pay dispute and intended to pressure their claims in current pay negotiations.
The air controllers were "strictly ordered" to release the aircraft. AENA is considering what response it will have to the incident.
