Ercan Airport radar malfunctioned leaving some planes stranded in the air

The radar at Ercan Airport in north Cyprus broken down on Saturday with air traffic control managed with 'manual methods'. 

According to report by Turkish Cypriot daily Yeniduzen, the radar at Ercan Airport broke down on Saturday leave flights hanged in the air but the air traffic control is being managed using 'manual methods.' 

Speaking to YENİDÜZEN, the President of the Air Traffic Controllers Union (HTKS), Cem Kapısız, said, "Since the radar has malfunctioned, we are currently providing service manually—we’ve gone back to the 1950s."

Kapısız explained that due to the manual system, when two planes arrive, one is kept waiting in the air while the other is allowed to land, and only after the first plane lands can the waiting plane be serviced. He emphasized that the situation is a result of a "lack of investment."

"We are trying to act quickly and safely. We are attempting to achieve this with primitive methods," Kapısız said. When asked about what the "primitive method" entails, he responded: "We don’t have a screen in front of us. We rely on information received from the aircraft, write it down, and manage timing and directions accordingly."