Meeting with Airservices

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. This morning, I had a constructive meeting with the CEO of Airservices Australia, to discuss the challenges staff and passengers have experienced at Sydney Airport. Airservices have committed to implementing improved rostering practices for Sydney’s Air Traffic Controllers that will be implemented from early September.

I have made my expectations clear that Airservices must carefully manage the situation at Sydney for the rest of August. A new Sydney Tower simulator has also been installed to increase training capacity and enable more controllers to be trained for Sydney operations. We also discussed the work of our Air Traffic Controllers.

This is a highly technical role, with a high level of responsibility. They do important work to keep the travelling public moving safely and efficiently, and I thank them for their dedication and professionalism. It has been a big focus of ours to encourage more people to enter the profession, and 95 people are expected to be endorsed as air traffic controllers by the end of the year.

Six controllers are currently training in Sydney Tower, with another 15 expected to commence before the end of 2027. These are vital but demanding roles, and I’ve asked Airservices to ensure controllers are receiving the support they need to perform at their best.