What’s behind Sydney airport’s heavy delays and near-miss incident?

Air traffic controllers are short-staffed and exhausted – and new recruits face a difficult aptitude test and must train in Melbourne

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Travellers flying in and out of Sydney airport had already been dealing with heavy delays even before a Jetstar plane narrowly avoided colliding with a Qatar Airways plane on the tarmac early on Sunday.

The day before, more than 150 flights passing through Sydney were delayed as the airport grappled with a lack of air traffic controllers, highlighting how just how delicate the rostering situation is.