Twice in a fortnight, aircraft at Sydney's busiest airport have come within meters of one another on the ground — a Qatar Airways 777 and a Jetstar A320 on Sunday, a Qantas 737 and a turboprop on July 27. These near-misses did not emerge from nowhere; they arrived against a backdrop of chronic air traffic control understaffing that grounded or delayed more than 150 flights the day before. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now asking a question that extends well beyond any single incident: whether the system itself has been asked to carry more than it can safely hold.
Qatar Airways near-miss at Sydney signals deeper ATC staffing crisis
One Jetstar cabin crew member was assessed by paramedics; no injuries reported among passengers or crew.