Australia probes 3 near-misses at Sydney Airport

Three near-misses involving aircraft at Sydney Airport have prompted an investigation by Australia's transport authorities. On July 27, two Qantas planes narrowly avoided a collision after being cleared for take-off. The following day, a Virgin Australia 737 had been given the green light to take off when the crew spotted another Qantas plane crossing the runway ahead of them. The aircraft came to a stop about a kilometre from the other plane, which had also been authorized to taxi across the runway.

Earlier that Sunday, a Jetstar pilot had to brake sharply to avoid a collision with a Qatar Airways jet. Transport Safety Bureau chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell assured the public that any organizational or systemic issues contributing to these events would be thoroughly examined. He stated that a supervisory or training situation was taking place at the time of the incidents, which could have impacted the response.

Mitchell noted that three near-misses occurred in less than two weeks, highlighting the need to understand why these occurrences took place. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also called for an investigation into the incidents, expressing concern over the timing of the incident reports.