Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot.
For the fourth time in a matter of weeks, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is now investigating another close call at Australia’s busiest airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD). Two Qantas planes were directed to the same intersection yesterday after air traffic controllers cleared them.
A Qantas Airbus A321 had been cleared to taxi towards the runway for a flight bound for Gold Coast Airport (OOL) on Friday, according to the Australian Financial Review. At the same time, a Boeing 737-800 had just arrived from Melbourne Airport (MEL), and both aircraft were directed towards the same intersection on the ground. There were no reports of damage or injury.
The 737 had been given clearance to continue along the taxiway, while the Airbus bound for the Gold Coast was permitted to turn onto it. While the ATSB has confirmed that there was no immediate risk of collision, it has still launched an investigation to understand what other contributing factors were similar to the other three incidents that have occurred in the last month.
Preliminary reports will take up to eight weeks, and the evidence collected will include interviews with the air traffic controllers and flight crew involved, as well as retrieved recorded data. This comes at a time when more than 50 controllers at Australia’s busiest airport have expressed concern about the lack of time to learn a new, highly detailed, and complex material from airspace changes that came into effect in July.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to Simple Flying on Friday.
“Our aircraft was cleared to proceed following instructions from Air Traffic Control and we will support the ATSB in the investigation.”
A Look At The String Of Close Calls At Sydney Kingsford Smith
As previously mentioned, the latest incident is the fourth in a matter of weeks, after a Qantas narrowbody aircraft narrowly avoided colliding with a QantasLink aircraft that had just landed on July 27. The 737 was cleared to cross the runway, just as the turboprop was descending. It was able to abruptly stop after crossing the safety hold point.
In August, a Jetstar A320 slammed on the brakes when it was traveling in the same path as a towed Qatar Airways 777-300ER. The widebody was being towed and had operated as part of the Virgin Australia wet-lease. This resulted in a Jetstar cabin crew member sustaining injuries requiring medical treatment, and the flight being canceled.
On the same day, a Virgin Australia 737 was cleared for takeoff when the pilots spotted a Qantas aircraft crossing the runway 0.6 miles (1 km) ahead. This caused Virgin VA555 to Perth Airport (PER) to halt until further clearance was granted.
Taxiway confusion and weekend staffing strains prompted emergency stops and a canceled Jetstar flight after boarding.
Sydney Airport Is The Busiest Airport In Australia
Located around five miles (nine kilometers) from the Sydney central business district, the airport is the busiest in the country and the main hub for Australian flag carrier Qantas. The country’s transport safety bureau is investigating the recent string of close calls at Sydney, including contributing factors such as air traffic controller shortages, staff fatigue, and the rollout of new, complex airspace procedures.
The tower at SYD has faced heavy operational demands lately, straining air traffic controllers and causing delays to hundreds of domestic and international flights. Controllers have reported feeling unprepared to understand an extensive new level of knowledge through major airspace procedures that were introduced on July 9 due to the integration of Sydney’s new second airport, Western Sydney Airport (WSI).
Western Sydney was officially integrated into the Sydney terminal area
The region now has four distinct neighboring control zones, listed as:
Visual flight rules corridors and routes above Bankstown and Camden were adjusted. A new one-way VFR corridor for southeast departures.
As a result, recent incidents, including several taxiway conflicts where planes were directed to the same intersections, have highlighted strain in ground coordination and clearance. Airlines continue to work with the bureau as part of the ongoing investigations.
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