Two air traffic controllers who failed to report for duty at Sydney Airport on Monday caused widespread flight delays and cancellations across Australia, Senate estimates heard. The disruption, which began at 3pm and lasted until the airport's 11pm curfew, saw arrivals capped at 26 per hour, down from the usual 40. This led to Qantas cancelling flights with an average delay of 72 minutes, while Virgin Australia reported an average delay of 95 minutes across 47 flights.
Jason Harfield, CEO of Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air traffic control, defended his nearly $1 million salary during the hearing. He confirmed that the disruptions were solely due to the two absent controllers, as none of the agency's 948 controllers nationwide could be redeployed to cover the shortage. Air traffic controllers are entitled to unlimited sick leave under their employment terms.
Opposition senator Bridget McKenzie criticised the situation, saying, 'It's pretty incredible that two people don't show up for work and the entire country is shut down.' Harfield acknowledged the issue, stating, 'I completely accept that, and this is one of the issues that we're working through.'
The staffing crisis stems from a 2021 retirement incentive scheme that saw 140 controllers leave. Despite a recruitment drive, Airservices expects only 50 new controllers to be qualified by June and 40 more by year-end. Harfield noted that disruptions had been improving until December, when one in six delayed flights were directly attributable to controller shortages, up from one in 10-12 pre-pandemic.
A workplace culture review by former discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick's firm found that 27% of staff experienced bullying in 2023, up from 23% in 2020, with 9% reporting sexual harassment. Harfield denied allegations of nepotism, calling it a 'perception' from one employee.
