Dozens of flights were cancelled and many more delayed at Sydney Airport after a shortage of air traffic controllers forced limits on how many aircraft could safely take off and land, disrupting travel across the country’s busiest aviation hub.
Airservices Australia said it had advised airlines that controllers would need to increase spacing between arriving and departing aircraft in Sydney because a number of our local staff are on short notice sick and carers leave.
The flow restrictions quickly turned into cancellations as airlines tried to protect their broader schedules and stop aircraft and crews falling out of position.
According to flight tracking data cited by Nine News, at least 25 flights scheduled between 6.30am and 9.40pm had been cancelled by late Thursday afternoon.
Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar were among the carriers affected with the disruption mainly hitting domestic routes. Nine News also reported Hawaiian Airlines was among airlines with cancelled departures.
Sydney Airport sought to reassure travellers that the disruption was not due to a wider breakdown in airport services, pointing instead to the air traffic control staffing squeeze.
It is advised that travellers enquire about the status of their flight with their airline. According to a spokesman for Sydney Airport, all other airport operations are operating as normal.
When capacity tightens at Kingsford Smith, it can cascade across the national network, delaying inbound aircraft and pushing back departures in other capitals as airlines scramble to reset rotations.
The most recent disruption, according to Stephen Beckett, CEO of Airlines for Australia and New Zealand was a result of a longer standing staffing issue that affected both leisure and business travel.
Airservices, a government owned provider of air traffic services said it was working to build more resilience into its controller workforce including an on call capability to cover short notice absences.
The agency pointed to recent recruitment and training progress but acknowledged that unplanned absences can still force ad hoc restrictions, particularly during peak travel periods when schedules are tight and airports are operating near capacity.
Watch for airline texts and app alerts and expect that disruptions in Sydney can affect flights elsewhere even if local weather is clear and terminals are operating normally.
