Sydney airport delays and near-miss blamed on air-traffic controller shortages

Sydney airport faced extensive delays on Saturday, with over 150 flights affected by a shortage of air-traffic controllers, leading to increased aircraft spacing for safety. The following morning, a Jetstar flight narrowly avoided a collision with a Qatar Airways plane on the ground, triggering an inquiry and mandatory testing of an air-traffic controller and a tug driver. Union president Scott Nugent explains that the limited roster requires overtime, leaving controllers fatigued and operating at half capacity.

The shortage stems from a pandemic-era incentive that prompted many senior staff to accept redundancy in 2021, and subsequent hiring has not kept pace with demand. Airservices Australia, which runs the nation’s airspace, notes that training new controllers takes up to two years and that only a small fraction of applicants succeed, while also preparing a major new flight-tracking system and addressing workplace-bullying claims. Despite a rise in total controllers nationwide, Sydney remains understaffed, especially with new responsibilities from the Western Sydney airport and Ballina airspace.