Sydney Airport is under scrutiny following a series of runway incidents, as detailed in preliminary findings released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on September 30. The incidents, which involved passenger aircraft, occurred over the past three months.
The first incident took place on July 27, when a Qantas Boeing 737 was cleared to cross a runway in front of a landing QantasLink Dash 8. On August 9, a Jetstar Airbus A320 had to brake abruptly to avoid a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 being towed across its path, resulting in a flight attendant fracturing her wrist. On the same day, a Qantas Boeing 737 was cleared to cross a runway in front of a Virgin Australia 737 that had just been cleared for takeoff. Nine days later, a Qantas Airbus A321 had to brake while taxiing to allow another Qantas 737 to pass.
In a statement, Sydney Airport emphasized that safety is its highest priority and expressed its commitment to supporting the Minister and Airservices in addressing the preliminary findings. The airport is awaiting final reports and recommendations from the ATSB's investigations.
Investigators have noted that staffing levels at Sydney Airport's control tower are a recurring area of inquiry, although it has not been determined if staffing issues directly contributed to the incidents. Angus Mitchell, ATSB chief commissioner, stated that the investigations will assess the significance of staff resourcing pressures, including the practice of combining operational roles and reliance on overtime.
Concerns about fatigue among controllers were also raised, although investigators cautioned that increased risk does not imply that controllers were fatigued during the incidents.
According to a separate ATSB analysis, Sydney Airport recorded the highest rate of ground conflicts per aircraft movement among Australia's major airports in the post-COVID period, approximately 20% above the national average. Mitchell noted that these findings should be considered within the context of Sydney Airport's complexity as the most intricate airport in the country.