Due to staffing shortages, Sydney airport air traffic controllers are overworked
Regarding the near-collision between two Qantas planes at Sydney Airport, investigations have revealed that staffing shortages led to some air traffic control personnel being overworked.
On July 27, an incident occurred when a Qantas plane was landing while a Boeing 737 was cleared to take off. Fortunately, the landing plane managed to avoid a collision. This was one of six near-collisions at Sydney Airport in a month, raising concerns about air traffic control amid severe staffing shortages at the airport.
According to Reuters, five out of ten air traffic controllers working at the time of the incident were assessed as being at high risk of burnout, based on Australia’s fatigue index scale.
One employee was assessed as having a medium risk level, and another as having a low risk level. The remaining three showed no signs of fatigue.
Reuters quoted a shift supervisor as telling air traffic control: “We had four people overloaded that morning. Thank God there were no accidents, but everyone was terrified.”
The incident occurred amidst a global aviation industry facing a manpower shortage. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it is investigating six near-misses to determine the underlying issues and contributing factors.
In the field of air traffic control, fatigue management systems are used to assess the risk of employee burnout. However, these systems are primarily based on factors such as workload and work schedules, and do not accurately reflect actual fatigue levels.
Based on the assessment results, air traffic control personnel can implement risk mitigation measures such as taking longer breaks, reducing workload, or ending their shifts early.
According to Scott Nugent, President of the Australian Civil Aviation Association, the number of shifts for air traffic controllers has increased in recent years, leading to longer working hours and a higher risk of burnout. Safety regulations dictate that air traffic controllers who feel fatigued should not continue working.
“However, the staffing shortage has forced them to work overtime and reduce their days off, while the pressure of work has also increased,” Nugent said.
At a meeting last week in Canberra, the national air traffic control service provider, Airservices Australia, said that the number of absentee staff in the six weeks leading up to August 28 was unusually high, significantly impacting air traffic control shift scheduling.
An air traffic controller stated that they may still be asked to continue working despite being assessed as being at risk of being overloaded. Given the high volume of flights and staff shortages, arranging replacements to alleviate the workload is very difficult.
An air traffic controller in Melbourne also said he had never seen a colleague being allowed to leave their shift due to being overloaded. When one person is absent, the workload falls on the remaining staff.
There are currently no universally accepted regulations regarding continuous working hours for air traffic control personnel. Each country applies its own regulations and measures to manage workload.
In Australia, air traffic controllers may have to work up to 10 consecutive shifts, equivalent to 80 hours, including overtime and handling emergencies. Meanwhile, this limit is 8 days in Canada and 6 days in the United States.
In countries facing air traffic control staff shortages, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, overtime work is quite common.
According to a report by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, overtime pay for air traffic controllers quadrupled between 2013 and 2024, reaching approximately $200 million in 2025. (BXD)
