ATSB investigates third runway incident at Sydney Airport in under three weeks

Australia's transport safety watchdog, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), announced it is investigating a third runway incident at Sydney Airport in less than three weeks, after a Virgin Australia Boeing 737 was forced to abort its take-off on Sunday 9 August when a Qantas Boeing 737 crossed the runway ahead of it. The aircraft involved were Virgin Australia flight VA555, bound for Perth, and Qantas flight QF728, bound for Ayers Rock Airport.

According to an ATSB statement cited by ABC News Australia, air traffic control cleared the Virgin Australia 737 for a full-length take-off on runway 34L at around 10am local time. As the Virgin Australia crew applied thrust, they observed the Qantas aircraft beginning to cross the runway ahead of them from taxiway lima. The Qantas crew reported having received a clearance from air traffic control to cross the runway. The Virgin Australia crew then reduced thrust and brought the aircraft to a stop.

ABC News Australia reports that air traffic controllers cancelled VA555's take-off clearance at the same time its crew noticed the Qantas aircraft ahead, and that once the Qantas 737 was clear, the Virgin Australia aircraft was re-cleared to take off. According to ABC News Australia, it is understood the Qantas plane began to cross the runway approximately 1,200 metres ahead of where the Virgin Australia flight had started its take-off run, before the clearance was cancelled four seconds later.

The 9 August incident occurred on the same day as a separate event in which Jetstar flight JQ402 was forced to brake sharply to avoid a Qatar Airways 777 being towed along the tarmac. A further incident on 27 July involved a QantasLink flight and a Qantas plane in a near-miss on the tarmac. All three incidents are being investigated by the ATSB.

Airservices Australia — the commonwealth-owned body responsible for managing Australian airspace — said it was working with the ATSB on all three investigations. According to The Guardian, Airservices has attributed recent flight delays at Sydney Airport to a shortage of air traffic controllers, a situation linked to a pandemic-era programme that incentivised a significant number of experienced staff to leave in 2021. A subsequent large recruitment drive has not kept pace with demand, in part because new recruits face a difficult aptitude test and an 18-month training period in Melbourne.

According to The Guardian, Airservices has noted additional pressure stemming from the new Western Sydney Airport and its recent takeover of airspace management at Ballina airport in northern New South Wales. The air traffic controllers' union has described the workforce as short-staffed and exhausted.

According to The Guardian, federal transport minister Catherine King called Airservices chief executive Rob Sharp to a meeting in Canberra on Monday, after which she described the disruptions as 'unacceptable' but said she was confident Airservices was 'doing everything they can to get on top of this', including changing rostering practices in the short term. King said an additional 95 people were expected to be endorsed as air traffic controllers by the end of the year.

Where sources differ

• The Guardian states the ATSB announced the third investigation 'on Thursday night', while ABC News Australia states it was announced 'on Wednesday'. The sources may be referring to different stages of the announcement or publication timings.

• None of the sources detail the specific nature of the air traffic control instructions that led to both aircraft reportedly receiving clearances simultaneously, or whether this was the result of a single controller error or a systemic failure.
• The precise proximity of the two aircraft at the closest point is not confirmed by official sources; the 1,200-metre figure is attributed to unnamed sources and described as 'understood' by ABC News Australia only.
• The outcome or timeline of any formal ATSB findings or recommendations for any of the three incidents is not established.
• The air traffic controllers' union is referenced but not directly quoted in either source.
• No comment from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) or other regulatory bodies appears in any source.
• It is not established whether any passengers or crew were injured in any of the three incidents.

1. The Guardian — original — by Catie McLeod
2. ABC News Australia — by Luke Cooper

Read the original at The Guardian

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