Airlines call for action on air traffic controller shortage as flight delays continue

The government’s air navigation agency has conceded its staffing issues have led to flight delays and cancellations, with Australia’s biggest airlines calling on the body to remediate the problem as soon as possible. Airservices Australia CE Jason Harfield said the business was dedicated to rectifying air traffic controller issues, which were responsible for close to 20 per cent of delays at the country’s four biggest airports this financial year. “Regrettably, Airservices has not consistently delivered the service standard we expect of ourselves and relied upon by our customers and stakeholders. While aviation safety performance has been maintained, the efficiency and consistency of the network, at times, has been impacted and constrained, hampering the recovery,” he said. Air traffic controllers manage the flow of aircraft into, out of, and between airports across the country. But since flying resumed after COVID-19, delays and cancellations have markedly increased due to a lack of controllers. Although weather is the main reason Airservices delays an arrival or departure, airlines and airports have become frustrated with the body’s historic reluctance to accept its workforce issues. Airservices now provides data that shows the extent it is responsible for delays and cancellations at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth airports on any given month. Over the financial year, Airservices said it delivered more than 99 per cent of air traffic service levels nationally, but conceded the number of delays and cancellations caused by a lack of controllers was unsatisfactory. The data shows the bulk of the delays affected Brisbane and Sydney airports over the year, with January and June the most affected months. Smaller airports including Ballina, Albury and Alice Springs also struggle with a lack of controllers but are not monitored in the same way.<br/>