Tourism boom pushes limits of Athens air traffic control

At the peak of Greece’s annual summer tourist rush, green icons marking commercial jets packed with holidaymakers stack up across the radar screens of Athens air traffic controllers, creating a high-stakes logistical puzzle that tests even the most experienced professionals. “Look at this sky, it’s crazy, there’s no room for any more planes!” said Olga Toki, vice-president of the Association of Air Traffic Controllers of Greece, summing up the unprecedented pressure facing Greece’s overstretched aviation workforce this summer.