Australia’s transport safety watchdog has published a confidential report warning that Sydney Terminal Control Unit was not ready to safely handle the complex airspace and procedure changes tied to Western Sydney International Airport and the wider Sydney Basin redesign. The report centres on an experienced air traffic controller’s complaint about training, staffing and workload at one of the country’s busiest control environments, where the new rules took effect on 9 July.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau disclosed the REPCON after receiving the complaint in June, with the whistleblower arguing the unit faced pressure from experience gaps, fast-tracked training and multiple procedural changes. More than 50 controllers reportedly responded to a Civil Air survey, and many voiced serious concerns about readiness for the transition.
The report points to about 1,000 pages of new training material linked to the airspace overhaul. The controller’s view was that the only safe way to manage the new arrangement might be to meter traffic flows across Sydney Basin airports.
Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority had already been alerted through earlier REPCON reports. CASA responded that it was satisfied appropriate training, procedures and operational support were in place, while also indicating the matter would remain under review through normal oversight. The ATSB disclosure is a complaint report rather than a finding of an incident, so it confirms the concerns and the regulatory response without establishing that an unsafe event occurred.