Two planes involved in near-miss amid staffing issues
Melissa Meehan |
Two planes have avoided a nasty crash at Australia’s busiest airport as it struggles with staff shortages.
The Jetstar and Qatar Airlines planes almost collided at Sydney Airport at 7am on Sunday after both pilots braked suddenly.
Jetstar flight JQ402 was taxiing on the tarmac to depart for the Gold Coast when the near-miss occurred.
The incident left one Jetstar crew member needing medical attention at the scene.
No passengers were injured.
A Jetstar spokesperson said their aircraft was following instructions from Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake “firmly” when another aircraft came into “close proximity”.
“We have commenced an investigation into the incident,” the spokesperson said.
The Jetstar flight was cancelled and passengers were re-booked on later services to the Gold Coast on Sunday.
The incident followed delays to more than 150 flights passing through Sydney on Saturday as the airport struggled with staffing shortages.
A spokesperson for the airport said Airservices Australia, which oversees air traffic control there, was managing reduced air traffic movements expected to impact flights network-wide and result in delays.
Airservices Australia said it had enacted air traffic-flow management measures, including spacing out departures, due to roster constraints.
Airservices Australia had been unable to roster enough staff for three consecutive days, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive Stephen Beckett told ABC News.
Sydney Airport also faced significant delays on Friday, with some passengers forced to sit on the tarmac for more than an hour as more than 120 flights were delayed.
AAP