Sydney Airport delays flights as controller shortage hits
- Airservices Australia enacted flow management measures at Sydney Airport due to air traffic controller roster constraints.
- Qantas cancelled six flights, while others experienced delays exceeding one hour.
- The staffing shortage follows official investigations into six recent near-miss incidents at the airport.
Airservices Australia temporarily restricted flight movements at Sydney Airport on Sept. 11 morning following severe air traffic controller roster constraints.
The measures caused delays of over an hour and six flight cancellations for primary carrier Qantas (ASX:QAN) before normal operations resumed with minor ten-minute delays.
"Airservices acknowledges the ATFM measures may have caused some disruptions to airline scheduling and is working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible," said Airservices Australia Spokesperson.
The agency confirmed it is actively recruiting additional controllers and streamlining protocols to call in off-duty staff during unexpected staffing shortages.
The operational disruption precedes a scheduled Senate committee hearing where aviation executives will face questioning regarding national service reliability.
Following the announcement the Qantas share price was down at $8.98.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is currently investigating six separate near-miss aircraft events recorded at the airport over a one-month period.
Internal agency records previously identified high fatigue risks among duty controllers during a close-call incident involving two commercial jets in July.
