Australian authorities are investigating three near-misses at Sydney Airport in less than two weeks, including two that occurred on the same day. Air traffic controllers are currently under scrutiny after these back-to-back incidents put aircraft and flyers at risk.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating a runway incursion that took place on Sunday, August 9. During the incident, a Virgin Australia passenger jet was forced to abort its takeoff when a Qantas aircraft crossed the runway. This was the third safety incident at the airport in two weeks and happened only hours after another near miss.
Rob Sharp, the chief executive of the commonwealth-owned Airservices Australia, defended the decision not to immediately report the incident. Sharp stated that the aircraft remained one kilometer apart and therefore did not meet mandatory reporting requirements. Despite this assessment, the safety bureau remains concerned.