Sydney Airport near-miss involved controllers at high fatigue risk

Internal records and call recordings reveal that several air traffic controllers on duty during a July 27 near-miss at Sydney Airport were flagged as being at high risk of fatigue. The incident involved a landing Qantas turboprop narrowly avoiding a Qantas Boeing 737 that had been cleared to cross the runway.

Of the ten controllers on duty during the incident, five were rated as having a high fatigue risk, one was at medium risk, and one was at low risk. Of the three controllers directly involved in the near-miss, two were rated as high fatigue and one as medium fatigue. A shift manager described the staffing situation during an internal call as ‘a bit insane.’

The near-miss was the first of six such incidents at Sydney Airport within approximately one month, prompting scrutiny regarding air traffic control staffing shortages. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is currently investigating all six near-misses to identify common safety issues or contributing factors. Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air traffic control, has declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation.