Source : THE AGE NEWS
The chief executive of Australia’s air traffic control agency was summoned to a meeting with Transport Minister Catherine King after days of flight delays and two near misses on the tarmac within a fortnight.
Rob Sharp, the chief executive of Airservices Australia, spoke with King on Monday after a Jetstar pilot was forced to slam on the brakes to avoid striking a Qatar Airways jet on Sunday, just weeks after a similar incident in which planes had been given contradictory instructions by controllers at Sydney Airport.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now investigating. Its chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the incident occurred at low speed but still had the potential to be “very significant”.
“Those two aircraft should not have come as close as they did,” he said on Seven’s Sunrise. He would not prejudge his organisation’s investigation, but flagged that the traffic control system had been under significant stress.
There have reportedly been several staff shortages in recent days. Air traffic controllers have unlimited sick leave and it can take about 18 months to train a new controller.
“Now we have another airport in Sydney that’s up and starting that build up phase, a new air space design that’s only just come into effect in the last few weeks,” Mitchell said.
More to come.
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Chris Zappone is a senior reporter covering aviation and business. He is former digital foreign editor.Connect via X, Facebook or email.
