DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Air traffic controllers at Senegal’s newly opened international airport are staging a 24-hour strike that has left hundreds of travelers stranded.
The trade union secretary-general for the air traffic controllers, Francois Paul Gomis, told radio station Rfm on Friday that workers are protesting a lack of training and new conditions that don’t allow for enough rest. He said the airport’s location some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Dakar also presents transport challenges.
Passengers say they were taken off planes after midnight and have been stranded since then without food.
The Blaise Diagne International Airport opened last week after more than 10 years of delays. It is meant to anchor Senegal’s developing economic and tech center as the West African country hopes to become a regional travel hub.
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