Modelling by Sydney airport’s air traffic control operators predicted elevated fatigue risks for staff at the time of a series of major safety incidents, with a review identifying runway incursions and near misses at 20% above national averages.
Staffing gaps at Sydney airport are being investigated as a key factor in four incidents in July and August this year, according to the investigating authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau [ATSB].
Angus Mitchell, the ATSB chief commissioner, released preliminary investigation reports on Wednesday that confirmed staffing levels had “emerged as a recurring area of enquiry”.
Air Services Australia, which operates the tower, had predicted 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 are 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.
“Nationally, over the decade, reported ground confliction [incident] rates have remained broadly steady,” Mitchell said.
“However, Sydney recorded the highest confliction rate per aircraft movement post-Covid among the 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.
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Mitchell said 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.
Final reports from the investigations are expected in 2027.
Last month Guardian Australia revealed Sydney air traffic controllers had warned safety regulators of “grave concerns” about changes to airspace rules, likening the situation to the months leading up to a crash in Washington DC in which 67 people died.
