Sydney Airport near-collision one of worst in 20 years, investigators say

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released preliminary reports on four out of six incidents at Sydney Airport between July and late-August. The reports highlight a July 27 near-collision as one of the most severe runway conflicts since records began over 20 years ago. The incident involved two Qantas aircraft, with a Boeing 737 carrying 157 people nearly colliding with a QantasLink Bombardier with 55 people aboard as they approached the same runway.

The ATSB Commissioner, Angus Mitchell, stated that the event was the most severe to occur in Sydney and only the third such incident in Australia since 2003. Safety defences, including air traffic controllers, pilots, and ground crew, acted to prevent more serious outcomes in all six incidents. However, the air traffic control tower was operating with high predicted fatigue levels for four out of seven controllers during the incident.

The ATSB is investigating the effectiveness of measures to manage fatigue risks and whether combining operational roles and over-reliance on overtime contributed to the incidents. Overall, the ATSB and aviation regulators remain committed to improving aviation safety and addressing operational challenges.