Air traffic staffing under scrutiny after near-miss ranked at ‘most serious level’
Air traffic control staffing pressures at Sydney Airport have emerged as a key factor following four near-misses at the country’s busiest airport.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released four preliminary reports on Wednesday after six incidents at Sydney Airport this year, with one being categorised at “the most serious level”.
Qantas won Best Airline in the Australia/South Pacific region. Getty Images
While the summaries did not make findings or recommendations, they aimed to make sense of the events and the operational context in which they occurred.
ATSB Commissioner Angus Mitchell noted in the reports that staff resourcing within Sydney Airport’s air traffic control tower during several incidents has become a “recurring area of inquiry”.
“These investigations will look to understand the significance of staff resourcing pressures within the tower,” he said.
“Specifically, the practice of combining operational roles, the routine reliance on overtime to fill shifts, and training or supervision activities being conducted alongside operational duties.”
The report did not conclude whether staffing was a direct factor in any of the near-misses or whether they were underlying conditions being managed by Air Services Australia.
It was also said that the structure of the air traffic services roster predicted “elevated fatigue risks” for workers in several instances.
“It is important to note that an elevated fatigue risk in and of itself does not mean a controller was fatigued, or that fatigue influenced their performance,” Mitchell said.
“We are examining the effectiveness of the measures in place to manage this identified risk.”
According to an ATSB statistical report on Australia’s busiest airports, the July 27 near-miss was the first of its kind recorded at Sydney Airport, and just the third nationwide since incursion severity tracking started in 2003.
Mitchell said that the incident, involving a Boeing 737 and a Bombardier DCH-8 was categorised at “the most serious level on the international scale”.
One incident reportedly saw two planes stopped about one kilometre from each other. Supplied
Other incidents under review include an August 9 taxiway close call, where a Jetstar A320 braked abruptly to avoid a towed Qatar Airways Boeing 777, leaving a flight attendant with a fractured wrist.
Later that day, a Qantas Boeing 737 was mistakenly cleared to cross a runway in front of a Virgin 737 preparing for takeoff.
A third incident on August 18 saw a Qantas A321 forced to brake to avoid another Qantas 737 passing ahead of it.
“Nationally, over the decade, reported ground-confliction rates have remained broadly steady,” Mitchell said.
ATSB Commissioner Angus Mitchell said staffing in Sydney’s air traffic control tower during the incidents are a key inquiry in the investigation. Nine
“However, Sydney recorded the highest conflict rate per aircraft movement post-COVID among the major airports, around 20 per cent above the national average.
“This should, however, be viewed in the context of Sydney Airport being the most complex in the country.”
“The ATSB does not investigate to apportion blame or liability.
“Our role is to independently examine the evidence, identify any systemic safety issues that may emerge, and bring them to light early and transparently,” Mitchell said.
“Those best placed can consider whether any immediate and ongoing safety risks are being effectively managed.”
The ATSB will release final reports amassing findings and the analysis to support the discoveries at the end of each investigation.
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