Questions regarding the failure to utilize the country’s own flight inspection capabilities and the cost of outsourcing flight inspection services to foreign providers, despite the significant public investments made in recent years, have been raised in a question submitted by PASOK MPs Michalis Katrinis and Anastasios Nikolaidis to the Ministers of Infrastructure and Transport and National Defense.
In their question, they point out that recent reports mention that flight inspections of air navigation systems at Greek airports were conducted by an aircraft operated by a foreign entity due to the unavailability of the Civil Aviation Authority’s own aircraft,, a fact that raises legitimate questions both about the maintenance and support planning for the HCAA’s aircraft and about the overall utilization of the significant investments that have been made in the field of flight inspections and air navigation infrastructure.
The two members of Parliament emphasize that the Hellenic Air Force possesses a state-of-the-art flight inspection aircraft, acquired with national and European funds, which for the first time in the country establishes significant national capability in this specific sector. However, the Greek government continues to rely on external or foreign providers for such services, a fact that makes it necessary to assess whether these services are being procured in the most cost-effective manner possible and with the optimal use of public investments.
In their question, they ask to be informed of the reasons why the Hellenic Air Force’s existing flight inspection capability was not utilized, the cost of recent contracts awarded to foreign providers, and whether a comparative cost-benefit analysis – benefits between utilizing the resources of the Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority and outsourcing services to third parties.
At the same time, they are requesting information on the ILS systems and other radio navigation aids that have been installed or upgraded from 2015 to the present, their certification status and operational use, as well as whether the required flight inspections have been completed and whether they have been fully integrated into European aeronautical publications.
In addition, they are requesting detailed data on flight inspection expenses from 2020 to the present, as well as the cost of the recent outsourcing of services to a foreign entity.