Genuine concerns over safety at Sydney’s new airport

September 4, 2026 — 4:12pm

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The city’s newest airport has barely got off the ground, only to have problems at Sydney Airport bring it down to earth with a thump.

Western Sydney International Airport’s high-tech air traffic control centre is being kept shut for longer than expected, despite cargo flights operating and passenger flights starting in seven weeks.

The closures have been imposed to free staff to backfill rosters at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport tower.

Staffing problems have been at the centre of an unprecedented number of potential systemic lapses at Sydney, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigating six separate incidents that occurred within a month. They include a Qantas aircraft........

© The Sydney Morning Herald