Australia has initiated an investigation into a fourth air traffic control incident at Sydney Airport within a month. The latest event, which occurred on Tuesday, involved two Qantas aircraft being directed towards the same intersection.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), a Qantas Airbus A321, preparing for departure to the Gold Coast, braked to avoid a Qantas Boeing 737 arriving from Melbourne. The Boeing had been cleared to continue along a taxiway that the Airbus had also been cleared to turn onto.
The ATSB stated there was no immediate risk of collision but has launched an investigation to determine if there are common contributing factors with three other recent incidents at the airport. A preliminary report is anticipated within six to eight weeks.
Previous incidents include two Qantas aircraft narrowly avoiding a collision on July 27, a Jetstar A320 braking suddenly to avoid a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 on August 9, and a Virgin Australia 737 stopping short of a Qantas aircraft on the same day.
Separately, the ATSB received a report in early June from an air traffic controller expressing concerns that staff were unprepared for complex airspace and procedure changes related to a new international airport. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which investigated the report, found that Airservices Australia had implemented appropriate training and support arrangements for these changes.