Led by Professor Andrew Cook, Westminster’s ATM (Air Traffic Management) Group has created standard aviation delay cost values, which are helping to do just that. “We are recruiting more air traffic controllers to add further depth to our air traffic control rosters over the next 12 months, particularly in airspace sectors where our staff numbers are tight.When you consider that shortening a flight by one minute prevents an estimated 100+ kg of CO 2 from entering the atmosphere, it is hard to overstate the environmental benefits of tackling global flight delays. He said the issue was “unprecedented” and that the email to staff sought to remind “air traffic controllers of their service obligation to the community and our pivotal role in the re-emergence of Australian aviation”. “We have experienced a significant increase in unplanned leave due to health issues such as the flu and COVID-19 during the year, but while these illness levels are abating, the number of days lost to unplanned leave is yet to,” Mr Sciortino said. About 3.4 per cent of all domestic flights were cancelled, too, compared to the long-term average of 2.1 per cent.Īirservices Australia’s Mr Sciortino was unavailable for an interview, but admitted in a statement the “current rate of short-notice, unplanned leave is alarming and unacceptable”. Just 70.8 per cent of flights departed on time in December, compared to the long-term average of 81.6 per cent. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics said on-time performance in December, the most recent month for which data is available, was “significantly lower than the long-term average performance”. ![]() It has particularly frustrated airlines, which have weathered criticism over the past year as they struggled to reach pre-pandemic levels of reliability, despite the issue of air traffic controllers being out of their hands. Though it can usually cope with about 50 air services an hour, the airport was pushed down to 30 until 4pm on Friday, sources said.Ībout 275 flights were affected, with an average delay of about 70 minutes. The air traffic controller shortage reared its head at Sydney Airport on Friday. These reroutes can add as much as 100 nautical miles to a Brisbane to Sydney flight or an extra 20 minutes of flight time.” “ASA are also requiring aircraft to plan alternative routes to avoid airspace or limit the traffic through a particular area to avoid high workloads for controllers. The blowout in absenteeism among employees of Airservices Australia – the government-owned company that provides air traffic controllers to all local airports – has frustrated airlines and airports that are left to deal with angry customers and the operational fallout.Īs demand for travel rebounds fast, airline executives claim it has hampered their ability to ensure flights take off on time and are not cancelled.Ī graphic attached to the memo sent last Monday shows that after a dip in unplanned leave like sick days in early 2021, the measure has steadily climbed to about 20,000 days a year on a rolling 12-month average. That was up from 14 shifts per year in 2019.Ī graphic attached to the email sent to Airservices Australia staff. ![]() In a memo to select Airservices Australia staff, obtained by The Australian Financial Review, airspace services boss Rodney Sciortino revealed a “sharp climbing trend” of unplanned leave that equated to each full-time worker taking off 20 shifts at short notice in 2022. Air traffic controllers are not showing up to work at rates 44 per cent higher than before the pandemic, causing disruptions to travel operations and contributing to delays and cancellations for travellers.
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