Australia’s air traffic controllers are being pushed to the limits because of understaffing and fatigue caused by overworking.
That’s the warning from the Transport Workers Union (TWU), who claim controllers are at “crisis levels” and that the travelling public could be in danger as a result.
The TWU issued a statement following the release of a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau following six recent incidents between passenger aircraft at Sydney Airport in under two months.
The interim reports identify fatigue and understaffing issues, with one controller involved flagged as “high predicted fatigue levels.”
They also include an incident that was reported by Virgin Australia, instead of by Airservices, despite it being a reportable incident under Australian regulation.
“These reports from the ATSB, including an incident not even reported at the time by Airservices, show we cannot wait any longer to address the critical understaffing that has pushed air traffic controllers to crisis levels,” said Michael Kaine, TWU National Secretary.
“While airlines, airports and Airservices are all pointing the finger of blame at each other, workers are experiencing enormous levels of pressure at every level and the travelling public is in potential danger.
“Across our airports, aviation workers are running on empty. This is not just a Sydney Airport problem and it’s not just affecting air traffic controllers.
“Workers all the way from the tarmac to the flightdeck are fatigued, understaffed and rostered to maximum limits, while airports and airlines are making mammoth profits.”
The ATSB interim reports were released ahead of a Safety Assurance Review by CASA, gathering direct feedback from air traffic controllers working in Sydney Tower, set to be released this month.
The TWU has called for industry cooperation on urgent short-term fixes, especially with the imminent opening of Western Sydney International, as well as a longer-term plan to repair the broken sector.
It is also calling on the Federal Government to urgently legislate on its commitment to an Aviation Coordination Council.
The report follows recent strikes by Qantas Freight and Sydney Airport security staff around the country over years of cost-cutting to critical services.
“We need action from Airservices and we need the Federal Government to legislate its promised Aviation Coordination Council to bring sense back to an industry that’s gone berserk on short-term profits,” added Mr Kaine.
