Article 73 of the new draft law of the Ministry of Development and Investment gives the green light for the recruitment of staff to the Civil Aviation Authority. The Article, titled “Measures to support the relatives of the victims and those affected by the February 28, 2023 Tempe rail accident, pension provision, provisions for enhancing transport safety, provisions to enhance development, interventions to modernise tourism legislation and other urgent provisions”, states:
α. Notwithstanding the provisions of the law, the competent units of the Authority shall be considered legal and regular, cleared and carried out by the competent units of the Authority, notwithstanding the provisions of the law, expenditures or obligations during the specified period, including uncleared expenditures against the Initial Budget and the Permanent Advance of the Authority (Article 51(1)(o) of Law No. 4757/2020).
β. A decision of the Governor of the APA shall determine the organisational units of the Authority that operate on a 24-hour basis to serve the specific mission and work of the Authority.
c. The maximum number of vacant organic posts of the APA that may be filled by staff serving in General Government bodies shall be increased by 25 additional vacant organic posts.
δ. The possibility for the AIA Commander to enter into contracts for the lease or any kind of concession or disposal of premises of Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ (AIA) with the competent AIA body, as appropriate, to serve the needs of the AIA’s ancillary services within the AIA premises.
ε. Provision shall be made for the transfer to the APA of amounts deposited with the State as revenue from fees during the period in question which have not been refunded to the APA. The procedure for the reimbursement of these amounts shall be determined by means of a subsidy to the APA from the State budget, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the rules.
According to the Ministry of Transport, this provision is necessary due to the failure to achieve the initial staffing target of the APA (coverage of 111 posts against 172).
