The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating whether low staffing levels at Sydney airport contributed to four runway incidents that occurred between July and August this year. Preliminary reports released on Wednesday confirmed that staffing levels had "emerged as a recurring area of enquiry," according to ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell.
Fatigue risks and staffing gaps under scrutiny
Airservices Australia, which operates the tower, had predicted elevated 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 were 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.
Incident rates above national average
Mitchell said that nationally, reported ground confliction rates have remained broadly steady over the decade. However, Sydney recorded the highest confliction rate per aircraft movement post-Covid among major airports, about 20% above the national average. This should be viewed in the context of Sydney airport being the most complex in the country.
The four incidents include a near miss on 27 July, when a Qantas Boeing 737 was cleared by controllers to cross in front of a Qantaslink Dash 8. 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.
Safety assurances and next steps
Mitchell said that in Sydney, ground incidents attributed to air traffic control actions had increased since the Covid period. "Sydney has also recorded twice the annual average number of information and procedural errors compared to other airports," he said. "Higher-consequence incidents, including runway incursions, taxiway near-collisions and losses of separation attributed to [air traffic control] have also increased at Sydney post-Covid, driven partly by the July and August peak."
The transport minister, Catherine King, said she expected Airservices Australia to cooperate fully with the investigations and fix any problems. 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. A spokesperson said Airservices Australia would review the interim reports and completed investigations. "The aviation safety system is designed to manage operational risks through multiple safeguards and, based on the information currently available, the recent occurrences do not indicate an immediate safety risk to the travelling public."
Final reports from the investigations are expected in 2027.
