Australia investigates fourth close call at Sydney airport in less than a month

Australia's transport safety regulator has launched an investigation into a fourth incident involving air traffic control at Sydney airport within a month. The latest incident occurred on Tuesday when a Qantas Airbus A321 preparing to depart for the Gold Coast braked to avoid colliding with another Qantas aircraft, a Boeing 737, that had just arrived from Melbourne.

The ATSB stated there was no immediate risk of collision but initiated the investigation to determine if there were any contributing factors in common with three other incidents at the airport in the past month. Evidence collection will involve interviewing air traffic controllers and flight crew, reviewing recorded data, and gathering other relevant information.

A preliminary report is expected within six to eight weeks. Previous incidents include two Qantas aircraft narrowly avoiding a collision on July 27, a Jetstar A320 braking suddenly on the tarmac on August 9 to avoid a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, and a Virgin Australia 737 stopping about 1km short of a Qantas aircraft on the same day.

The ATSB also received a report from an air traffic controller on Thursday, noting staff had been unprepared for complex airspace and procedure changes following the opening of a new international airport in Sydney's west.