A shortage of air traffic controllers led to flight cancellations and delays at Sydney Airport on the morning of September 11, 2026. Airservices Australia introduced Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures to manage traffic amid roster constraints.
Qantas experienced delays of up to 80 minutes and six flight cancellations before the ground delay program was lifted. Virgin Australia cancelled six Sydney-bound flights and reported delays reaching 50 minutes. Additionally, two flights to Melbourne were cancelled during a separate ground delay.
Restrictions on Sydney’s air traffic were lifted at 8:15 a.m. local time after conditions improved. Airservices Australia is actively recruiting
more air traffic controllers and is working on streamlining processes to call in additional staff when needed.
The staffing shortage follows scrutiny over six near-misses at Sydney Airport in about a month, including a July incident where two Qantas aircraft nearly collided. These events are under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. On September 11, 2026, Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp and senior executives were scheduled to appear before a Senate committee examining the aviation sector’s capacity to provide reliable services.
An Airservices Australia spokesperson said, “Minimal airborne delays are expected through the morning, and departure delays for domestic
and international flights out of Sydney are mostly under 10 minutes, due to demand.” The spokesperson added, “Airservices acknowledges the ATFM measures may have caused some disruptions to airline scheduling and is working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible.” One shift manager described the staffing situation as “a bit insane.”
Passengers experienced disruptions including delays up to 80 minutes and multiple flight cancellations. Airlines and Airservices Australia are collaborating to minimise the impact on passenger travel amid ongoing controller shortages.
