Transport watchdog investigates third near miss at Sydney airport

The transport safety watchdog is investigating a a third near-collision between two planes at Sydney airport – the latest incident occurring hours after one that made national news and raised concerns about air traffic control.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said on Thursday night that it was investigating a second “runway incursion” on Sunday 9 August.

It is the third safety incident at Australia’s busiest airport in less than three weeks. All three are being investigated by the ATSB.

The latest incident involved a Virgin plane that was forced to abort take-off when a Qantas plane began to cross the runway in front of it, the ATSB said.

Virgin Australia flight VA555 from Sydney to Perth, Western Australia, and Qantas flight QF728 from Sydney to Ayers Rock Airport, Northern Territory. Both were Boeing 737s.

The ATSB said the Qantas crew reported having received a clearance from air traffic controllers at Sydney to cross the runway.

The crew on the Virgin flight saw the plane moving in front of them, reduced thrust and brought their aircraft to a stop.

The incident took place just a few hours after a Jetstar plane narrowly avoided colliding with a Qatar Airways plane on the tarmac, prompting nationwide attention on the severe shortage of air traffic controllers at Australia’s busiest airport.

There was another another near-miss relating to air traffic control at Sydney on 27 July, when a Qantas flight was cleared to cross a runway in front of another of the airline’s planes that had just landed.

On Thursday night, a spokesperson for Airservices Australia – the commonwealth-owned organisation responsible for the management of the country’s skies - said it was working with the ATSB as it investigated all three incidents.

“Safety is Airservices’ top priority and we are committed to working with all stakeholders including airlines, ground handlers, regulators and airport operators to keep the travelling public safe,” they said.

Travellers flying in and out of Sydney airport had already been dealing with delays, which Airservices has blamed on a dearth of controllers.

Much of the problem is tied to a pandemic-era program that incentivised a significant number of experienced staff to leave in 2021.

Soon after, Airservices embarked on a large recruitment drive but hirings have failed to keep up with demand, in part because new recruits face a difficult aptitude test and must train for 18 months in Melbourne.

Airservices has said it is under additional pressure due to the new Western Sydney Airport and its recent takeover of airspace management at Ballina airport in northern New South Wales.

As a result, air traffic controllers are short-staffed and exhausted, according to their union.

After calling in the Airservices chief executive, Rob Sharp, for a meeting in Canberra on Monday the federal transport minister, Catherine King, said the disruptions were “unacceptable”.

Nevertheless, the minister said she was confident that Airservices Australia was “doing everything they can to get on top of this”, including changing its rostering practices in the short term.

An additional 95 people were expected to be endorsed as air traffic controllers by the end of the year, King said.