SYDNEY — Two Qantas aircraft were cleared onto conflicting taxiway paths at Sydney Airport on August 18. One crew braked and stopped short of the other aircraft. It is the fourth Sydney Airport taxiway conflict or ground-safety incident referred for investigation in as many weeks.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), a Qantas Boeing 737 was arriving from the Gold Coast. It had clearance to turn right while taxiing west. At the same time, a Qantas Airbus A321 was preparing to depart for Melbourne. It had clearance to turn onto a path that would have put it in the 737’s way. “As the Airbus approached… the crew observed the Boeing approaching from the left and stopped the aircraft,” the ATSB said. The A321 was braking normally and came to a stop. The bureau said there was no immediate risk of collision. It classified the event as an “incident” rather than a “serious incident.”
A Sydney Airport Taxiway Conflict Fits a Wider Pattern
The taxiway conflict is the fourth Sydney Airport ground-safety event referred to the ATSB in four weeks. FODNews reported on the first, an August 9 runway incursion. A Qantas 737 crossed a runway ahead of a Virgin Australia jet cleared for takeoff. That forced the Virgin crew to abort. On the same day, a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 had a close encounter. The ATSB initially described it as a near collision before reclassifying it as a “proximity event.”
The ATSB said it will examine the instructions given to flight crews in the August 18 event. Investigators also plan to determine whether the incidents share contributing factors. They will interview the air traffic controllers and flight crews involved. They will also review recorded data from the incident.
Controller Staffing Under Scrutiny
Scrutiny of Sydney Airport’s air traffic control tower has intensified over the past month. Controller shortages have been blamed for both recurring delays and the cluster of ground-safety events, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Airservices Australia, the government-owned body that runs the tower, confirmed it reported the August 18 event to the ATSB. It described the event as “a potential traffic conflict between two Qantas aircraft taxiing on the ground using the taxiway system.” The agency called the report a routine part of its safety management process.
“The recent ground traffic incidents currently under investigation by the bureau involve a range of circumstances,” an Airservices spokesperson said. “Each incident is being investigated on its individual facts.” The agency added that it will continue to review operational events and take any action required to maintain safe operations. A Qantas spokesperson said the airline’s aircraft “was cleared to proceed following instructions from air traffic control.” Qantas added that it would support the ATSB’s investigation.
Whether the four incidents share a root cause — controller staffing, workload, procedure, or coincidence — is precisely what the ATSB’s expanded review is now trying to determine.
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