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Sydney Airport ATC Probes Four Near-Miss Incidents
21 Aug
Summary
- Four air traffic control incidents at Sydney airport in less than a month.
- Two planes nearly collided on the ground after conflicting taxiway clearances.
- Controllers expressed concerns over new airspace changes prior to incidents.
Australia's transport safety regulator is investigating a fourth aviation incident at Sydney Airport within the past month. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) launched the probe after two Qantas aircraft received conflicting taxiway instructions on Tuesday. An Airbus A321 preparing for departure was forced to brake sharply to avoid a Boeing 737 that had arrived from Melbourne.
The ATSB is examining common factors potentially linking this event to three previous incidents. These include a July 27 near-miss between a landing Dash 8 and a 737 crossing a runway, and two separate runway incursions on August 9 involving a Jetstar A320 with a Qatar Airways 777, and a Virgin Australia 737 with a Qantas aircraft.
Separately, a report from an air traffic controller highlighted staff unpreparedness for complex airspace changes effective July 9. Over 50 controllers reportedly expressed concerns about insufficient training time for the new procedures, drawing parallels to a past incident in Washington D.C.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority investigated the report and found that Airservices Australia had implemented appropriate training and support. The ATSB's preliminary report on the latest investigation is expected in six to eight weeks.
