A Big “THANK YOU” to Serbian ANSP SMATSA - All QMWG Members Reported Safely on Their Way Home…

Who would have thought that the eruption of a Volcano in Iceland would turn a Workgroup meeting into a successful Teambuilding Exercise? Not that the QMWG needed it - we all saw first hand that they have what it takes to be a 'High Performance Team', both professional and socially competent. And it just goes to show how far Quality Management can help in managing the unexpected.

It was the talk of the Morning: Have you heard about the volcanic ash cloud? At that moment we were still confident that we would get home – delayed, but only a little bit.

However, after listening to the news updates and learning that one-by-one, States decided to close their airspace for safety reasons - it finally sank in: it won’t be a smooth “travel process” for most of us. So – we immediately thought of measures…

Our SMATSA colleagues were great. Not only did they spend Friday evening with those whose flights had been cancelled, they stayed in constant contact with everybody to track where they were on their way home. Those who were still in Belgrade received regular “check calls” from Igor and concrete assistance to rent a car to Vienna.

Milan, Igor, Zlatko and Jelena you guys were fantastic!!

We would also like to thank former Chair Klaus Golinski, who true to his character, set up a “coordination cell” as soon as he arrived home, forwarded all messages, new updates, travel schedules, addresses... to those in need.

Colleagues offered rides and even their guest beds to those who might pass through their cities on their way home…

We learned that there is something good to be found in everything bad that happens: it was a wonderful experience to know that you can rely on your colleagues.

The image below shows the progress of the QMWG Members on their voyage home.