Two planes narrowly avoided a collision on the tarmac of Australia’s busiest airport on Sunday morning, an incident that has intensified scrutiny on air traffic controller shortages and prompted a formal investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
Incident details
The near-miss occurred at approximately 7am at Sydney airport, when a Jetstar A320, preparing for flight JQ402 to the Gold Coast, was taxiing and its flight crew observed a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, under tow from an aircraft tug, in close proximity on a crossing taxiway. The Jetstar pilots were forced to apply firm braking to avoid a collision, according to a Jetstar spokesperson.
“We have commenced an investigation into the incident,” the spokesperson said. Initial inquiries suggested the tug vehicle pulling the Qatar aircraft may not have followed instructions, a source said.
Injuries and damage
Both aircraft were stopped abruptly. A cabin crew member aboard the A320 was injured and required medical attention at the scene, Jetstar said. No passengers were injured. There was also damage to the connection between the 777’s nose gear and the aircraft tug. The flight was cancelled, and passengers were re-booked on later services.
The ATSB confirmed it was investigating the “near collision” and would interview flight crew, tug operators, air traffic controllers, and other witnesses, as well as review any CCTV footage.
Staffing shortages
The incident comes amid ongoing staffing shortages at Airservices Australia, which manages air traffic control. The airport reported delays to more than 150 flights on Saturday, and more than 120 flights were delayed on Friday, with some passengers stuck on the tarmac for over an hour.
Airservices Australia said it was working to safely manage demand at the airport “following a reported safety incident between two aircraft moving on taxiways” and was reviewing the incident. A spokesperson said, “We are working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible.”
Stephen Beckett, chief executive of Airlines for Australia and New Zealand, told the ABC that Airservices Australia had been unable to roster enough staff for three consecutive days. He called on Airservices to identify the root cause of the issue and detail plans to address it.
Political reaction
NSW Premier Chris Minns expressed concern, saying, “Not just the safety risks but we want to make sure the airport is operating at full capacity. That’s hugely important for our economy. We don’t want to see people disrupted if they go to the airport and services are cancelled because there are not enough air traffic controllers.”
Minns added that the government was “hopeful that there’s a plan in place to recruit more people for a highly specialised but very important job,” noting the upcoming opening of Western Sydney Airport would place even more strain on the system. “It’s hard to employ people, particularly for these specialised services, because we’ve got a very tight labour market, but this isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. It’s crucial for public safety and our economy.”
Previous incidents
Two weeks prior, another near-miss involving two Qantas planes occurred at Sydney airport. The ATSB is investigating the 27 July incident, when a Qantas flight was cleared to cross a runway in front of another of the airline’s planes that had just landed. Air traffic control detected the “conflict” and alerted both crews.
Qatar Airways was contacted for comment on Sunday.
