What’s behind Sydney airport’s heavy delays and near-miss incident?
Summary
Sydney airport has faced major flight delays and a near-collision between two planes due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. The shortage results from many experienced staff leaving during the pandemic, and hiring has not kept pace with demand, causing safety measures to slow flights.Key Facts
- Over 150 flights at Sydney airport were delayed due to a lack of air traffic controllers.
- A Jetstar plane nearly collided with a Qatar Airways plane on the airport ground.
- Two workers were temporarily stood down for drug and alcohol testing after the near-miss.
- Many controllers left Airservices Australia during the pandemic, encouraged by a redundancy program.
- Hiring new controllers has been slow despite high starting salaries and raises for experienced staff.
- Controllers are working long overtime hours, leading to exhaustion and increased flight delays.
- Airservices Australia is also managing new technology upgrades and workplace bullying issues.
- The number of controllers has grown from 985 in 2020 to 1,073 in 2024, but staff shortages remain due to increased workload.
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