Check your flights: Take-off for dozens of planes delayed at Sydney Airport

Travellers are being warned to check their flights with dozens of flights departing Sydney Airport grounded or delayed this morning.

At least 33 departing flights have been hit with delays, with some passengers stuck on planes or in terminals for more than an hour, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand, the industry body which represents airlines, said.

Flight tracking data from Trip.com shows 25 flights listed as delayed for this morning.

A spokesperson for Airservices Australia – the nation’s air navigation service provider – said a runway change was required at Sydney Airport to manage “un-forecast strong tailwinds”.

“The runway change required the implementation of additional air traffic flow management measures to safely manage projected airborne delays, reduce complexity, minimise delays where able, and manage some rostering constraints,” the spokesperson said.

Airservices Australia was working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible, they added.

However, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Stephen Beckett attributed today’s disruptions to ongoing, long-term staffing shortages at Airservices Australia.

“Flight delays occur for many reasons, including adverse weather and engineering issues. However, repeated disruption caused by air traffic control staffing shortages is entirely avoidable and completely unacceptable,” Beckett said.

Airlines for Australia and New Zealand says the bottleneck stems from roster failures at the Air Traffic Control Centre that have plagued the agency for years.

“Australia’s aviation network cannot continue to grind to a halt because Airservices Australia cannot adequately staff its air traffic control facilities,” Beckett added.

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The industry body said it was seeking urgent answers from Airservices Australia regarding the exact cause and expected duration of today’s departure restrictions and final estimates on how many total flights will be delayed or cancelled.

Passengers flying out of Sydney today should monitor their airline’s app or website for real-time schedule updates before travelling to the airport, Beckett said.

As well as its complaints about staffing issues, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand has been locked in an ongoing stoush with AirServices Austalia over its plans to more than double the cost of air traffic control services, The Australian Financial Review reports.