[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] A shortage of air traffic controllers at Sydney International Airport in Australia led to numerous flight cancellations and delays of more than one hour.
According to Reuters and other foreign media outlets, air traffic flow restrictions were imposed at Sydney International Airport on the morning of the 11th local time because of a shortage of air traffic controllers.
As a result, approximately 14 flights scheduled to arrive at Sydney Airport were canceled, while some flights were delayed for more than an hour.
Airservices Australia, which manages Australia's air traffic, said it had implemented air traffic flow management measures to safely handle demand. The measures were lifted at 8:15 a.m. local time.
An official explained that the disruption occurred because the control tower was short one person compared with the staffing level required for normal operations that morning.
Sydney Airport currently has 49 air traffic controllers. Although 41 are needed for normal operations, eight were reportedly absent because of long-term leave. An unexpected additional staffing gap then left authorities unable to secure the required number of personnel.
Airservices Australia said the shortage of air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport has become a recurring problem. When staffing is insufficient during peak demand periods, the number of aircraft allowed to arrive at and depart from the airport must be reduced for safety reasons, the agency explained.
The measure has drawn greater attention because it coincided with a series of recent aircraft near-miss incidents at Sydney Airport.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a series of close encounters between aircraft at Sydney Airport since July. Concerns about aviation safety have grown after two Qantas Airways aircraft recently came close to colliding on the airport's ground.
The recurring shortage of air traffic controllers is the central issue. Flight delays also mounted at Sydney Airport last month because of staffing and shift-scheduling problems in the control tower. Australia's public broadcaster ABC reported at the time that more than 150 flights had been delayed.
Australian authorities said they would recruit and train additional air traffic controllers while strengthening reserve staffing and work systems to prevent disruptions even in the event of sudden absences or extended leave.
Jang Jong-ho, Reporter
bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
