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| At North Macedonia Airport |
The North Macedonian government decided today to recommend to the Oversight Council of the Aviation Control Agency to dismiss Fahredin Hamidi, the General Director of the Agency, and another director, Lube Stamenkovski, following an incident that occurred on the agency's premises a few days ago.
The attack that occurred last Thursday was deemed an act of high risk to the safety of the aviation system and passengers.
Tuesday's decision followed the insistence of the Air Traffic Controllers' Union for the resignation or dismissal of the managers after the January 4 attack by a disgruntled worker accompanied by seven others against an air traffic controller. The act posed a significant risk to the safety of passengers on an airplane about to land at Skopje Airport, according to experts.
The Air Traffic Controllers' Union had warned that from Wednesday (January 10), controllers would go on a general strike that would cause the suspension of all flights to and from Skopje Airport if the government did not dismiss the directors of the Aviation Control Agency, M-NAV.
The union's leader, Aleksandar Tasevski, had announced that 70 controllers, members of the union, were ready to go on strike.
The Aviation Control Agency M-NAV is state-owned, and the monthly salaries there are higher than in any other institution. The government initially proposed Ilir Mehmedi, a representative of the Democratic Union for Integration, to replace Fahredin Hamidi, an Albanian from the largest ethnic Albanian party in power. However, the proposal was later changed. Mr. Mehmedi, as it turns out, did not meet the requirements, so the government proposed Hekuran Hasani to lead the agency. Meanwhile, Milan Korac would be the new director for sectoral issues.
While the January 4 incident at the observation tower at Skopje Airport was condemned by all major parties in North Macedonia and considered a dangerous act against the country's aviation system, the BDI (Democratic Union for Integration) stated that the event had occurred between two colleagues and should not be sought after for political background.
Bekim Neziri, who led the attack, an employee at the Aviation Control Agency, is the head of the BDI branch in Cair, Skopje. He has also served as Minister of Economy. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Skopje has requested his arrest and that of the seven other attackers, four of whom have fled, but the Criminal Court has decided to impose cautionary measures. The Prosecutor's Office has announced that it will appeal the decision.
Tensions at the M-NAV Agency deepened after a competition for the recruitment of new employees, where the Union claims individuals with political connections and without the required professional criteria were accepted. Departing managers have dismissed these accusations.
Today, the financial police entered the M-NAV company to investigate irregularities related to internal notifications for illegal tenders.