Sydney Airport flights cancelled as air traffic controller shortage forces Ground Delay Program at domestic terminal
Stranded passengers await further news as dozens of flights across all airlines out of Sydney’s domestic airport were cancelled due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
The last-minute decision by Airservices Australia implementing a Ground Delay Program (GDP) is impacting all airlines in and out of Sydney today.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sydney Airport thrown into chaos due to air traffic controller shortage
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In a statement to 7NEWS, Airservices Australia said that they had already reduced the amount of aircraft movements due to poor weather, however the issue was compounded when a staff member called in sick, grounding air traffic out of Sydney to a halt.
Assuring customers that the shortage would be temporary, the air navigation provider announced plans to add additional flights to remove the backlog of stranded passengers.
“We have since sourced replacement staff to fill the position, however in the interim some flight cancellations did occur,” they said.
“We are disappointed that this has occurred so soon after our strong performance over the Christmas period, when ground delays were at record lows across the network.”
Virgin Australia Airlines told 7NEWS.com.au that 16 of their flights have been affected.
“We are in the process of communicating to impacted guests and re-accommodating them on the next available services,” they said.
“We regret this has required the cancellation of some Virgin Australia services to and from Sydney today. Guests booked to travel should monitor their flight information closely.”
The Ground Delay Program only allows 20 flights to arrive per hour, and will remain limited until 11pm AEST.
Buses in the Sydney CBD are now under increased pressure from the backlog of stranded passengers, and those using public transport have been advised to expect delays.
It comes amidst a day of public transport woes in Sydney, with lengthy delays across the train network, which has been crippled by ongoing industrial action.
Commuters have been warned that all public transport in and around Sydney’s CBD is operating under extreme pressure.
Originally published on 7NEWS
