Sydney control tower under strain: 15% of Australia's controllers retired
Sydney's air traffic control faces severe staffing shortages after 15% of controllers retired.
Scott Nugent directs aircraft at Sydney airport and leads the Civil Air association representing controllers. Recent near-misses drew attention to a deeper problem: not enough people work in the control tower.
Some controllers claim to work 10 consecutive days followed by one day off, then another 10-day stretch. Some rack up 800 hours of overtime per year.
Nugent calls it unsafe. During COVID, about 140 controllers aged 56 to 65 were encouraged to retire, cutting the workforce by 15 per cent.
Australia has struggled to replace them. Nugent estimates it could take five years to resolve the shortage.
The strain grows as Western Sydney International Airport opens in October with passenger services. It will use Australia's first remote digital control tower at Eastern Creek.
Controllers report mental health pressures too. Nugent says controllers need to seek help without risking their careers.
- 140 during COVID
- Controllers retired
- 15 per cent of Australia's controllers
- Workforce reduction
- 800 hours per year
- Annual overtime
- October, Western Sydney International
- New airport opening
Why it mattersFatigued controllers make mistakes; understaffing puts safety at risk across Australia's busiest airports.
AustraliaAustralian travellers depend on air traffic controllers; if staffing doesn't improve, delays, cancellations, and safety risks will likely worsen, especially as Sydney's second major airport launches.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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