00:01On Sunday, a Virgin flight was given the all-clear by Air Traffic Control at Sydney Airport to begin
00:08proceeding down the runway and take off. It was when pilots begun to apply thrust that they
00:16noticed a Qantas flight heading down the same runway. They paused and delayed the takeoff.
00:23That Qantas flight was over a thousand metres away but the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now
00:31investigating the incident even though it happened five days ago. The Head of Air Services Australia
00:39has defended that decision not to report the incident immediately. So we do take it seriously.
00:46We will work through the process with the ATSB and if there are any learnings from it we will
00:52certainly apply those. This is the third incident in as many weeks at Sydney Airport just a few
00:58hours before the incident between the Qantas and Virgin flight. A Jetstar flight bound for the Gold
01:04Coast and filled with passengers came within mere metres of colliding with a Qatar Airways flight.
01:11There was also another incident two weeks ago between a Qantas link and Qantas flight on the
01:17Sydney Airport runway. Here's what the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Angus
01:23Mitchell had to say today. So look we don't know exactly why there was a delay. We do think that
01:29initial indications that it was probably classified initially as a training incident and not a reportable
01:36incident. Earlier this week Federal Transport Minister Catherine King summoned the Head of Air
01:42Services Australia Rob Sharp to Canberra to speak about the issues. After the meeting he actually
01:49defended Air Services Australia saying that the chronic staffing shortages that were being had
01:55with ground crew and air traffic control crew should not be impacting safety at the airport.
02:02And while leaders are concerned about the issues passengers weren't too bothered.
02:07Ah not too worried about it you know bad things happen every now and then it's yeah that's what it
02:13is.
02:13I haven't had any delays but colleagues of mine did have delays earlier in the week I think it was
02:18due
02:18to winds in Brisbane but no haven't experienced any delays myself. The only thing I was a bit concerned
02:25with when we got here we would be delayed. Multiple investigations into the incidents are underway by the
02:32ATSB and the airlines involved.
02:36ATSB and the airlines involved.
02:36ATSB and the airlines involved.
02:37ATSB and the airlines involved.
02:37ATSB and the airlines involved.
02:38ATSB and the airlines involved.
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