The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has opened an investigation into air traffic control at Sydney Airport after a Virgin Australia Boeing 737 was cleared for takeoff while a Qantas 737 was cleared to cross the same runway, forcing the Virgin flight to abort.

This incident is the third near-miss at Sydney Airport in three weeks, underscoring ongoing staffing shortages affecting operations.

Earlier events include a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways 777 tow-related near collision, plus a July 27 near miss between a QantasLink and a Qantas aircraft on the tarmac.

ATSB has not released definitive outcomes yet; more information will emerge as the inquiry proceeds.

In related safety checks, Lufthansa is assessing whether D-AIML sustained damage requiring maintenance before return to service, while investigators seek the root cause of the low-threshold crossing.

investigators are examining whether in-tower training or supervision at the time played any role, though details remain unclear.

Preliminary findings note unclear causes for an early touchdown; analysts will review flight data, procedures, and approach conditions.

The ATSB noted a reporting delay from Sunday to Monday, violating mandatory reporting rules; the delay is being investigated and may relate to ongoing training scenarios.

Investigators caution against drawing broad conclusions about a common problem until the BFU’s analysis is complete.

Union and industry voices say air traffic control staffing remains stretched, with calls to address overtime reliance and recruit more controllers.

The incident damaged runway lighting, which will serve as physical evidence to reconstruct the final approach by comparing with aircraft position, altitude, and speed.

Germany’s BFU opened an investigation and secured the flight recorder to determine why touchdown occurred before the runway threshold.