Australian Transport Minister Catherine King is demanding an explanation from Airservices Australia following a near-collision incident at Sydney Airport on Sunday morning. A Jetstar flight preparing for departure to the Gold Coast was forced into a sudden braking maneuver to avoid a Qatar Airways plane on the tarmac.
The incident involved a Jetstar Airbus A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which was being towed at the time. The Qatar Airways aircraft sustained minor damage. The Jetstar flight was following instructions from air traffic control when the close proximity event occurred, according to a Jetstar spokesperson.
Transport Minister King stated that the repeated disruptions at Sydney Airport, including grounded flights, lengthy delays, and Sunday's near miss, are unacceptable. "Airservices Australia needs to be better at managing these disruptions," King said, adding that they create significant challenges for passengers, staff, and airlines. She is scheduled to meet with Airservices Australia on Monday.
Airservices Australia, a government-owned body responsible for managing air traffic, is under scrutiny. While King declined to comment further on the specifics of the low-speed incident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation. Bureau Commissioner Angus Mitchell indicated that interviews with flight crew, tug operators, air traffic controllers, and witnesses will be conducted, along with a review of relevant footage. "It certainly is a serious incident... this is the second one within two weeks," Mitchell told ABC News on Monday. "Whether it was a breakdown in communication, in actually getting the right message to the right people or the coordination of it, we're yet to ascertain."
As part of the unfolding situation, a ground controller and a tug operator have been stood down. Reports suggest that air traffic control was operating under restricted hours on Sunday between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. due to staffing shortages, which impacted flight arrivals and departures.
Dozens of passengers were on board the Jetstar flight. No passengers were injured in the incident, though one Jetstar crew member received medical attention at the scene.
This incident follows a separate disruption on Saturday, which saw delays to more than 150 flights at Sydney Airport due to staffing issues affecting airport operations. The union representing air traffic controllers, Civil Air Australia, has been contacted for comment.