Key facts
- Sydney Airport experienced flight cancellations and delays on Friday morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
- Airservices Australia enacted Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures.
- The ATFM measures were lifted at 8:15 a.m. Friday.
- Some Qantas flights faced delays of more than an hour, and six flights were cancelled.
- Airservices Australia is recruiting more air traffic controllers.
- Several near-miss incidents have occurred at Sydney Airport recently.
Flights at Sydney Airport were disrupted on Friday morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, according to Airservices Australia, the federal agency responsible for managing the nation's air traffic. The agency implemented Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures due to roster constraints and to safely manage aviation demand. These measures were lifted at 8:15 a.m. local time as conditions improved, though some delays of up to 10 minutes were still anticipated for the remainder of the morning. Airservices Australia acknowledged the disruptions to airline scheduling and stated it is working with airlines to minimize the impact on passengers. The agency is also taking steps to recruit more air traffic controllers and enhance staffing flexibility. Some Qantas flights experienced delays exceeding an hour, and six flights were canceled. The disruptions come as Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp and other senior executives are scheduled to appear before a Senate committee examining the aviation sector's reliability and affordability. This situation follows a Reuters report detailing concerns about controller fatigue during a July incident where two Qantas aircraft nearly collided at Sydney Airport. That near-miss was one of six at the airport in approximately a month, prompting increased scrutiny of air traffic control staffing amid global shortages. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating these incidents.