Modelling by Sydney airport’s air traffic control operators predicted elevated fatigue risks for staff at the time of a series of major safety incidents, with a review identifying runway incursions and near misses at 20% above national averages. Staffing gaps at Sydney airport are being investigated as a key factor in four incidents in July and August this year, according to the investigating authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau [ATSB]. Angus Mitchell, the ATSB chief commissioner, released preliminary investigation reports on Wednesday that confirmed staffing levels had “emerged as a recurring area of enquiry”.
Air Services Australia, which operates the tower, had predicted fatigue risks for staff at the time of the incidents as part of roster modelling processes. While fatigue risk does not necessarily mean individual air traffic controllers are tired at the time of an incident, the effectiveness of measures to manage any risk is being queried. Investigators will consider whether staff combining operational roles contributed to the incidents, along with routine reliance on overtime to fill shifts and training and supervision being conducted alongside normal duties.
The two aircraft came within 120m of each other at the same time as a controller completed a handover to a colleague in order to take a rest break. The report said the break was required to manage the controller’s predicted fatigue risk level, “which was high for their shift”. The incident was given the most serious safety classification, only the third time the rating has been used since Australian records began.
On 9 August, a Jetstar A320 braked abruptly to avoid colliding with a Qatar Boeing 777 which was being towed. A flight attendant onboard the Jetstar plane fell and fractured her wrist. On the same day, a Qantas Boeing 737 was cleared to cross a runway in front of a Virgin 737 that had been cleared for takeoff.
On 18 August, a Qantas A321 had to brake when a Qantas Boeing 737 passed in front of it. Mitchell said in Sydney, ground incidents attributed to air traffic control actions had increased since the Covid period. She announced the creation of a new independent assurance panel for Sydney air traffic control.
The regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority [CASA], said it believed none of the incidents presented an “immediate safety risk” and air travel was safe in Australia. Final reports from the investigations are expected in 2027. Last month Guardian Australia revealed Sydney air traffic controllers had warned safety regulators of “grave concerns” about changes to airspace rules, likening the situation to the months leading up to a crash in Washington DC in which 67 people died.
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