Arabic version: تأخيرات في مطار سيدني تؤثر في أكثر من 150 رحلة

According to The Guardian, passengers travelling through Sydney airport were warned of significant delays after more than 150 flights were affected by air traffic controller rostering constraints.

The disruption included 95 flights across the Qantas network, while Virgin flights were also affected. Sydney airport said Airservices Australia was managing reduced air traffic movements, with network-wide delays expected, and urged passengers to check with their airline for updated flight information.

Airservices Australia said it had introduced air traffic-flow management measures, including spacing out departures, because of roster constraints. It said it was working with airlines to limit the impact and was expanding its training pipeline to add controllers and improve roster depth.

Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive Stephen Beckett said Airservices Australia had been unable to roster enough controllers for three consecutive days. He said safety was being maintained but schedules were being disrupted, affecting international and regional connections.

Federal transport minister Catherine King said she had requested an explanation and a plan to improve service delivery. Sydney airport also experienced delays on Friday, when more than 120 flights were delayed and some passengers remained on the tarmac for more than an hour.