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

According to ABC News, passengers travelling through Sydney Airport on Saturday were warned to expect delays after Airservices Australia managed roster constraints in the air traffic control tower. More than 150 flights were delayed during the morning, affecting services across the international and domestic network.

Sydney Airport said reduced air traffic movement rates were being managed by Airservices Australia and could affect schedules across the network. The airport urged passengers to check with their airline for the latest information on their flights.

Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive Stephen Beckett said thousands of passengers had been affected by Airservices Australia’s operational challenges. About 95 delays were recorded across the Qantas network earlier on Saturday, including about 25 QantasLink services, while Virgin Australia said some of its flights to and from Sydney were also affected.

Airservices Australia said departure spacing had been enacted because of roster constraints. It acknowledged the air traffic flow management measures could disrupt airline schedules and said it was working with airlines to reduce delays. The organisation said it was enhancing its training pipeline to add controllers, improve roster depth and address rostering issues affecting workforce flexibility.

Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said Airservices needed to do better at managing disruptions, and her office had sought an explanation and a pathway to improve service delivery. She said 95 new air traffic controllers were expected this year, while acknowledging that more work was needed. The delays followed disruption on Friday, when some flights waited on the tarmac for more than an hour.