Australia's transport safety watchdog is getting quite the workout lately, having to investigate a third near-collision at Sydney airport in less than three weeks. Because apparently, the first two weren't enough of a hint.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) announced on Thursday night that it's looking into another 'runway incursion' that occurred on Sunday 9 August. This time, a Virgin Australia flight (VA555, Sydney to Perth) had to slam on the brakes when a Qantas plane (QF728, Sydney to Ayers Rock) decided to cross the runway right in front of it. Both were Boeing 737s, because of course they were.
According to the ATSB, the Qantas crew claimed they had clearance from air traffic control to cross. The Virgin crew, however, saw a large metal bird moving into their path, reduced thrust, and brought their aircraft to a stop. Just another day at Australia's busiest airport, really.
This latest incident happened just hours after a Jetstar plane narrowly avoided a collision with a Qatar Airways plane on the tarmac, which made national news and raised concerns about air traffic control. You know, the thing that's supposed to prevent planes from running into each other.
And let's not forget the near-miss on 27 July, when a Qantas flight was cleared to cross a runway in front of another Qantas plane that had just landed. Because why not make it a family affair?
Airservices Australia, the commonwealth-owned organisation responsible for managing the country's skies, said it's working with the ATSB on all three incidents. 'Safety is Airservices' top priority,' a spokesperson said, which is reassuring, even if the evidence suggests otherwise.
Travellers have been dealing with delays, which Airservices blames on a shortage of controllers. The problem stems from a pandemic-era program that encouraged a bunch of experienced staff to leave in 2021. Then Airservices tried to hire replacements, but new recruits face an aptitude test that apparently filters out most of humanity, and they must train for 18 months in Melbourne. So, short-staffed and exhausted, according to their union.
Airservices says it's also under pressure from the new Western Sydney Airport and its recent takeover of airspace management at Ballina airport. Because why not add more to the pile?
After summoning Airservices chief executive Rob Sharp to Canberra, federal transport minister Catherine King called the disruptions 'unacceptable.' But she also said she's confident Airservices is 'doing everything they can to get on top of this,' including tweaking rosters. An additional 95 controllers were expected to be endorsed by the end of the year, which is nice, but maybe not soon enough for the folks on those planes.
In the meantime, if you're flying into or out of Sydney, maybe bring a book. And a parachute.