ATC staff flag safety concerns for Sydney Airport

SYDNEY - New procedures and a revised airspace structure trigger safety concerns by air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport. A senior controller flagged "similarities to the ATC situation in Washington (...) in the months leading up to the mid-air collision (in early 2025)" with Australian authorities.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is examining a whistleblower report from an air traffic controller at Sydney Airport.

According to the senior controller, the airport's Terminal Control Unit (TCU) was "unterprepared" for recent changes to airspace and operating procedures.

The changes took effect July 9 2026, upon opening of Western Sydney International Airport. According to an ATSB filing, most of the changes affect the "Departures West" ATC sector responsible for airspace around the new airport.

According to the whistleblower more than 50 of his colleagues expressed serious doubts about their ability to safely follow new procedures even under normal traffic conditions in a union survey.

"The reporter advised there is already excessive pressure on the current system within the TCU with ATC workload based on staff shortages, training and experience levels," the ATSB said. "The reporter is concerned there are similarities to the ATC situation in Washington whereby the controllers were pleading with their local management for changes to be made in the months leading up to the mid-air collision."

The whistleblower compared the situation with conditions at Washington Reagan National Airport before the January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines CRJ700 and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

The collision of a CRJ700 operating an American Airlines flight and an UH-60 "Black Hawk" over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025 killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.

Near-Collisions at Sydney Airport

The concerns come after two recent close calls on the ground at Sydney Airport. The incidents have added to scrutiny of the airport’s air traffic-control operations as Sydney's aviation system adapts to the opening of Western Sydney International and the resulting changes to airspace and procedures.