Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson has called for an urgent solution to chronic air traffic controller shortages at Sydney Airport after July delays affected about 60,000 passengers. The issue centres on staffing in one of Australia’s busiest air traffic control hubs, where shortages have been contributing to disruption, weaker punctuality and operational pressure across the Qantas network.
Hudson made the comments on Thursday after Qantas released annual earnings, describing delays affecting that number of customers as unacceptable. The airline and wider industry have faced repeated disruption linked to controller availability at Sydney in recent weeks, alongside separate safety concerns that have drawn regulatory attention.
The staffing problem has become a broader operational issue for Australian aviation because Sydney Airport is a key domestic and international hub. Persistent shortages in air traffic control can constrain capacity, affect schedule reliability and create knock-on delays for airlines using the airport. The latest comments add fresh pressure on Airservices Australia and the federal government to address resourcing at the centre of the network.