Sydney Airport runway incident under investigation following aborted take-off
Investigators are probing the third safety incident at Sydney Airport in less than three weeks after a Virgin plane was forced to abort take-off after discovering a Qantas plane on its runway.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it is investigating a runway incursion and rejected take-off of Virgin Australia flight VA555 from Sydney to Perth and Qantas flight QF728 from Sydney to Ayers Rock Airport.
The incident, which occurred shortly after 10am on August 9, involved two Boeing 737s. Air traffic control cleared the Virgin Australia 737 “for a full-length take-off” on runway 34L, the ATSB said.
“As the crew applied thrust for take-off, they observed the Qantas 737 begin to cross the runway ahead of them from taxiway Lima.”
“The Qantas crew reported having received a clearance from ATC to cross the runway,” the ATSB said.
The Virgin Australia crew then reduced thrust and the aircraft came to a stop on the runway, the ATSB said. Air traffic control then broadcast a cancellation of the take-off clearance.
Once the Qantas 737 was clear of the active runway, the Virgin Australia 737 was recleared to take off.
The incident comes after two other near-misses on the ground at Sydney Airport, both under ATSB investigation, as well as a series of delays.
Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp had been summoned by Transport Minister Catherine King to assure that operations move smoothly in Sydney over the next month. Airservices Australia is in the process of bolstering its roster of air traffic controllers in Sydney, which are in short supply and frequently forced to cover shifts.
A spokesperson for Virgin Australia said: “We reported the matter to the ATSB in line with our safety procedures and will support its investigation. We take the safety of our guests and crew extremely seriously.”
A spokesperson for Qantas said: “Our aircraft was cleared to proceed following instructions from Air Traffic Control and we will support the ATSB in the investigation.”
Airservices Australia said it is working with the ATSB to “investigate recent incidents involving aircraft moving on the ground at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport”.
“Safety is Airservices’ top priority and we are committed to working with all stakeholders including airlines, ground handlers, regulators and airport operators to keep the travelling public safe.”
It’s understood the air traffic controller cancelled the take-off clearance of the Virgin plane within four seconds of the initial clearance after seeing the previously cleared Qantas aircraft crossing the runway.
On Sunday morning at Sydney airport there was a near ground collision involving a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways 777 that was under tow.
Two airport workers were stood down, and King warned Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp: “The delays and disruptions we have seen at Sydney Airport over the last three days have been unacceptable and have caused significant disruption to passengers, staff and airlines.”
Two weeks earlier, on July 27, a QantasLink flight and a Qantas flight were involved in a near miss on the tarmac in Sydney. The incidents have raised concern about the staffing of the air traffic control tower in Sydney, which has come under increasing pressure.
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