Sydney Airport safety incidents involving Qantas flights under investigation
Consensus Summary
Multiple safety incidents at Sydney Airport involving Qantas flights are under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, when two Qantas planes nearly collided on taxiway Lima just after 8am, with one flight stopping to avoid a collision. This follows a series of incidents in just over three weeks, including a July 27 incident where a Qantas 737 was cleared to cross a runway while a QantasLink flight was landing, and another where a Jetstar crew member was injured after a near-collision with a Boeing 777. Airservices Australia has reported these incidents to the ATSB and is reviewing operational procedures to maintain safety. Both sources agree the incidents involved conflicting instructions to flight crews, though ABC details additional incidents involving Virgin and Jetstar flights, which 7NEWS does not mention. The ATSB has classified these as safety incidents rather than serious incidents but is investigating potential common factors.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a safety incident at Sydney Airport on Tuesday involving Qantas flights QF589 (Gold Coast to Sydney) and QF405 (Sydney to Melbourne) on taxiway Lima just after 8am
- Airservices Australia reported the 'potential traffic conflict' between two Qantas planes to the ATSB on Tuesday
- The ATSB classified the incident as a 'safety incident' rather than a 'serious incident' but is conducting an investigation to understand conflicting instructions to flight crews
- Airservices Australia stated it will continue to review operational events and take any action required to maintain safe operations
- Qantas confirmed its aircraft were cleared to proceed following instructions from air traffic control and will support the ATSB's investigation
- The ATSB is investigating multiple incidents at Sydney Airport, including a Qantas 737 cleared to cross the main runway on July 27 where a QantasLink flight was landing
- Airservices Australia reported more than 14,600 aviation notifications to the ATSB in the 2024-25 financial year
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- A fourth incident at Sydney Airport occurred in almost as many weeks, with the first incident reported on July 27
- A Jetstar cabin crew member was injured two weeks later when their plane had to brake sharply to avoid a Boeing 777 under tow
- Later that same day, a Virgin flight was cleared to take off before permission was rescinded due to a Qantas plane crossing the runway more than 1,200 metres ahead
- The fourth incident occurred in just over three weeks, with the first three incidents happening in almost as many weeks
- Airservices Australia said each incident is being investigated individually, with no common contributing factors identified yet
- The latest incident involved a Qantas Airbus A321 preparing to depart for the Gold Coast nearly colliding with a Qantas Boeing 737 arriving from Melbourne on taxiway Lima
- The near-miss occurred days prior on Tuesday, with the Airbus stopping as the Boeing passed ahead
- Airservices Australia referenced 'recent ground traffic incidents' at Sydney Airport, including delays for hundreds of flights this month due to air traffic controller shortages
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- ABC states the fourth incident occurred in just over three weeks, while 7NEWS does not specify a timeline for the fourth incident beyond 'days prior on Tuesday'
- ABC mentions a Virgin flight incident on the same day as the Jetstar incident, but 7NEWS does not reference Virgin or Jetstar incidents
- ABC specifies a QantasLink flight was landing when a Qantas 737 was cleared to cross the runway on July 27, but 7NEWS does not mention this specific incident or date
Source Articles
Fourth Sydney Airport safety incident in three weeks under investigation
Airservices Australia, the government-owned organisation responsible for air traffic management, says it reported the "potential traffic conflict" between two Qantas planes to safety authorities on Tuesday.
Another probe launched after two Qantas planes nearly collide at Sydney Airport
Qantas said their aircraft received clearance from Air Traffic Control before the incident.
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