Jetstar, Qatar Airways Jets In Sydney Near-Miss Amid Air Traffic Control Concerns
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Worthy News) -Australian aviation authorities launched an investigation Sunday after a Jetstar passenger plane and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 narrowly avoided colliding at Sydney Airport, injuring a cabin crew member in the second near-miss at the airport within two weeks, amid mounting concerns about air traffic control staffing and safety.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the Jetstar Airbus A320 was taxiing for a planned flight to the Gold Coast when its pilots saw the Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which was being towed by an aircraft tug, in close proximity on a crossing taxiway.
Both aircraft stopped abruptly during the incident at about 7 a.m. local time. The Jetstar A320, carrying 151 passengers and six crew, stopped about 50 meters (164 feet) from the Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which was being towed without passengers aboard.
A Jetstar cabin crew member suffered a broken wrist, while no passengers were injured. There was also damage to the connection between the Boeing 777’s nose gear and the aircraft tug, investigators said.
Jetstar flight JQ402 was subsequently canceled, with passengers rebooked onto later services.
SYDNEY AIRPORT SAFETY INVESTIGATION
“Our aircraft was following instructions by air traffic control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity,” a Jetstar spokesperson said. “We have commenced an investigation into the incident.”
Initial inquiries suggested that the tug towing the Qatar Airways aircraft may not have followed instructions, although investigators stressed that it was too early to determine responsibility.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said investigators would seek to establish where any breakdown in communication or coordination occurred.
“At this stage we don’t know what were all the instructions,” Mitchell said, adding that investigators would examine recorded information and conduct interviews “to understand what went wrong and why they came so close, and to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
The ATSB said investigators would collect available data from both aircraft and air traffic control, interview flight crews, tug operators, controllers and other witnesses, and examine recorded information, including closed-circuit television footage.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER STOOD DOWN
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King confirmed that an air traffic ground controller and tug operator had been stood down pending mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
“As is policy, the ground controller and tug operator have been stood down for mandatory drug and alcohol testing,” King told reporters. She declined to comment further while the ATSB investigation was underway.
Airservices Australia, which manages the nation’s air traffic control system, said it had introduced Air Traffic Flow Management measures, including spacing departures, following the incident.
“We are working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible,” Airservices said, adding that it was reviewing the incident and would assist investigators.
The near-miss occurred as Sydney Airport was already struggling with air traffic control staffing shortages. More than 150 flights were affected Saturday by roster constraints, while Airservices had been working to address staffing issues.
SECOND SYDNEY AIRPORT NEAR-MISS
Sunday’s incident came just two weeks after another potentially dangerous encounter involving two Qantas aircraft at Sydney Airport on July 27.
In that case, a QantasLink Q400 arriving from Canberra was completing its landing roll on runway 34L when air traffic control cleared a Qantas Boeing 737 preparing to depart for Queenstown, New Zealand, to cross the same runway.
Controllers detected the conflict and warned both crews, with the Boeing 737 stopping after the holding point. No injuries or damage were reported. The ATSB described the incident as involving a “breakdown of coordination” and is investigating.
Audio subsequently published online captured controllers urgently telling the Queenstown-bound aircraft to “stop immediately” as it approached the runway.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the latest incident and staffing situation were concerning.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STAFFING PRESSURES
“Not just the safety risks, but we want to make sure that the airport is operating at full capacity,” Minns told reporters Sunday.
He said shortages needed to be addressed as the opening of Western Sydney International Airport increases pressure on Australia’s aviation workforce.
“We don’t want to see people disrupted if they go to the airport and services are canceled because there’s not enough air traffic controllers,” Minns added.
“I know it’s hard to employ people, particularly for these specialized services, because we’ve got a very tight labor market. But this isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s a must-have.”
The Airlines for Australia and New Zealand industry group has also called on Airservices Australia to explain the underlying cause of the staffing problems and outline how it intends to resolve them.
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