Sydney Airport runway incident triggers ATSB investigation

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a runway incident at Sydney Airport involving a Virgin Australia 737 and a Qantas 737. The incident occurred on a Sunday when the Virgin aircraft, which had been cleared for takeoff, was forced to abort its roll after the crew spotted the Qantas plane crossing the runway ahead.

Airservices Australia reported that the air traffic controller immediately rescinded the clearance once the Qantas aircraft was identified approximately 1.3km away. While the ATSB is examining whether training or supervision in the control tower played a role, Airservices Australia stated that the controllers involved were experienced and undergoing routine endorsement processes.

This event marks the third aircraft movement incident at Sydney Airport within a two-week period. The ATSB has also raised concerns regarding a delay in reporting, noting that the agency was not notified of the Sunday incident until Monday lunchtime, which may have breached mandatory reporting requirements.