Sydney air traffic controllers concerned about collision risk after airspace redesign

Air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport have raised serious concerns with federal safety regulators over recent changes to airspace rules introduced last month, comparing the situation to the lead-up to a Washington DC crash that claimed 67 lives.

The federal government was informed on Thursday about a confidential complaint reviewed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), in which veteran air traffic controllers cautioned back in June that changes tied to the new Western Sydney International Airport were rushed, with “inadequate training for controllers of all experience levels.” The complainant told the regulator a large group of controllers in Sydney "hold grave concerns about the project", referring to the air traffic redesign to accommodate the new airport.

In response to the complaint, the Sydney Terminal Control Unit stated that the person “may or may not be fully aware of all the procedural or safety measures implemented so far.” They explained that all new training manuals and procedures related to the changes had been thoroughly developed and approved, with additional staff supervision and monitoring in place, as well as planned restrictions on new air traffic controllers working within the system.

The federal regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), told the ATSB it was satisfied that Airservices Australia had implemented proper training procedures and operational support arrangements, and assured sufficient oversight to maintain safety.

More from New Farm Park

Today my family and I headed back into the city to watch the F/A-18 Hornets rehearsing for River Fire on Saturday night. Before that, we strolled along the waterfront at New Farm Park, where I managed to capture a few photos of commercial flights and a few city ferries. The aircraft were departing when we first arrived, but a wind shift prompted a runway change, and soon the aircraft were arriving instead.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-941 9M-MNN (MSN 2106)
MH134 OFF TO KUALA LUMPUR (KUL) 1 YEAR

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YIO (MSN 38714)
VA775 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 14 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YFU (MSN 41029)
VA604 ARRIVING FROM MACKAY (MKY) 10 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VYE (MSN 33993)
QF608 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 21 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHM (MSN 379)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKD (MSN 36229)
JQ66 ARRIVING FROM BANGKOK (BKK) 12 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737-808 DQ-FJN (MSN 34969)
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 19 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-84P (MSN 4488)
QLK363D ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 11 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRR (MSN 119)
CX165 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18901 (MSN 049)
CI53 ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI (TPE) 9 YEARS

LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA LEONARDO AW139 VH-LF6 (MSN 32129) 1 YEAR

LIFEFLIGHT AUSTRALIA LEONARDO AW139 VH-XIJ (MSN 41405) 11 YEARS

Toowoomba's Wellcamp Airport set to become home to Australia's first wide-body aircraft paint and refinishing facility.

US-based Landlocked Aviation Services is partnering with Wagner Corporation to establish a facility at Wellcamp Airport (WTB/YBWW) west of Brisbane. The Queensland Government is providing $12 million in support through its $180.6 million Sovereign Industry Development Fund.

What's particularly interesting for aviation enthusiasts like myself is the type of aircraft the facility is expected to handle. It is intended to service some of the world's largest commercial and defence aircraft, bringing a capability to Australia that has traditionally required aircraft to go overseas.

The facility will specialise in wide-body aircraft painting and refinishing. That means aircraft can potentially undergo:

• Complete exterior repainting
• Airline livery changes
• Defence aircraft refinishing
• Corrosion-control and protective coatings
• Aircraft appearance refurbishment
• Associated maintenance work

It is more than simply a paint shop. The Queensland Government and Wagner describe it as part of a broader effort to develop sovereign aviation and defence maintenance capability in Australia. The project is expected to attract around $52 million in investment and create more than 750 jobs across construction and operations. Once operational mid 2028, the facility is expected to support up to 100 skilled operational positions in Toowoomba.

That's potentially a major development for the Toowoomba region because it brings highly specialised aerospace work into regional Queensland rather than concentrating everything around Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne.

There are three big reasons I think this is particularly interesting from an aviation perspective:

1. Wellcamp could potentially see some very interesting aircraft movements. Large commercial aircraft and military/defence aircraft could be arriving specifically for painting and refinishing.
2. Australia has historically relied heavily on overseas facilities for some specialised aircraft work. Establishing this capability domestically reduces that reliance and strengthens the local aviation and defence supply chain.
3. For someone interested in aircraft like you are, this is probably the most exciting part. A facility capable of handling wide-body aircraft could potentially bring aircraft types and operators that wouldn't normally have any reason to visit Toowoomba. And Wellcamp has the runway and infrastructure to accommodate large aircraft — which is one of the reasons the location makes sense.

Landlocked Aviation Services is an American aviation company specialising in aircraft maintenance, modification and refinishing. The company itself describes the Toowoomba project as bringing Australia's first wide-body aircraft paint and refinishing facility to the country.

Photos from the Pacific Air Show - Gold Coast

A few weeks ago, the 2026 Pacific Airshow was on the Gold Coast and ran from Friday the 14th to Sunday the 16th of August 2026 at Surfers Paradise, returning after the 2025 event was cancelled following the damage caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. 

It was reported that more than 285,000 people attended the 2026 show, and organisers are expecting another huge crowd for the 2027 return.

There was a terrific mix of military, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft and some very unusual performers.

Some of the major highlights included:

• RAAF F-35A Lightning II — undoubtedly one of the big crowd favourites.
• RAAF Roulettes flying their precision PC-21 routine.
• RAAF C-130J Hercules
• CAC CA-18 Mustang
• Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII
• P-8A Poseidon from the US Navy
• US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey
• Yak-110 — probably one of the strangest-looking aircraft at the show.
• T-33 Silver Star
• Strikemaster and Jet Provost
• PC-9
• Matt Hall and his MXS
• Emma McDonald in her Extra 300L
• Bo-105 helicopter
• Pitts Special formation
• Gold Coast Skydive
• and, making their Pacific Airshow debut, Gravity Industries' jet suits.

The jet suits were particularly spectacular because two pilots actually flew above the beach using small jet engines mounted to their arms and backs. The M C reported that the pilots could reach around 400 km/h, making this one of the more unusual attractions ever seen at the Gold Coast show.

Over the course of three days, I took more than 5,500 photos and, whenever I had the chance, I went through them to pick out ones to share. During that time on the coast, we experienced all sorts of weather, from clear blue skies to heavy overcast and light drizzle.

AIRBUS HELICOPTER H125 VH-KMI (MSN 7377) 14 YEARS

JET POWERED BODY SUITS

McDERMOTT AVIATION BELL 214B BIG LIFT VH-SUF (MSN 28056) 45 YEARS

AIR TRACTOR AT-802 VH-SDJ (MSN 802-0054) 29 YEARS

AIR TRACTOR AT-802A VH-NFY (MSN 802A-0402) 15 YEARS

SURF LIFE SAVING AIRBUS HELICOPTER H135 VH-SLQ (MSN 649) 18 YEARS

MBB Bo 105S N13TZ (MSN S550) 

Pease check back daily as I will be posting more photos of the fast jets and heavies when time permits.

Looking back on Swissair Flight 111

SWISS AIR AIRBUS A320-271N HB-JDA (9246)

 

Swissair Flight 111 was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK/KJFK), United States of America to Genève-Cointrin Airport (GVA/LSGG), Switzerland. On the 2nd of September 1998, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 performing this flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax Stanfield International Airport at the entrance to St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia. The crash site was 8 kilometers (5 miles) from shore. 

All 229 passengers and crew on board the MD-11 were killed, making the crash the deadliest McDonnell Douglas MD-11 accident in history.

At 20:18 Swissair flight SR 111, departed New York-JFK Airport (JFK/KJFK) on a flight to Geneva Switzerland (GVA/LSGG). Forty minutes later the copilot contacted Moncton ACC, reporting FL330. At 21:10 the pilots detected an unusual odour in the cockpit and began to investigate. They determined that some smoke was present in the cockpit, but not in the passenger cabin. Four minutes later a Pan Pan Pan radio call was made to Moncton ACC. The pilots reported that there was smoke in the cockpit and requested an immediate return to a convenient place. The pilots named Boston, which was about 300 nm behind them.

At 21:24, both pilots almost simultaneously declared an emergency. The co-pilot indicated to the controller that they were starting to dump fuel and that they had to land immediately. Last radio contact was one minute later when they again declared an emergency. By now the fire had propagated, causing severe disturbances of the electric system. In the last minutes of the flight, the electronic navigation equipment and communications radios stopped operating. The aircraft descended over the dark waters off the coast of Nova Scotia until it stuck the water in a 20 degrees nose down and 110 degrees right bank.

The search and rescue response, crash recovery operation, and investigation by the Government of Canada took more than four years and cost CA$57 million. The investigation carried out by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) concluded that flammable material used in the aircraft's structure allowed a fire to spread beyond the control of the crew, resulting in the crash of the aircraft. Several wide-ranging recommendations were made which have been incorporated into new US Federal Aviation Administration standards.

Swissair Flight 111 was known as the "UN shuttle" because of its popularity with United Nations officials traveling between the organization's two biggest centers. The flight also carried business executives, scientists, and researchers.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Swiss Air

Code: SR/SWR

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11

Registration: HB-IWF

Serial Number: 36041

Engines: 3 Pratt & Whitney PW4462

First Flew: 01/06/1991

Alliance Airlines Jack Brabham livery arrives in Brisbane

Regular visitors to this site may recall that my family and I went to the airport last Friday in anticipation of the arrival of the Alliance Airlines Jack Brabham aircraft. Unfortunately, it did not arrive as expected. A friend informed us it was scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. today. My wife and I returned to the airport, and after a tense wait due to another delayed departure, the aircraft finally left Rockhampton and made its way to Brisbane.

ALLIANCE AIRLINES EMBRAER E190AR VH-A2N (MSN 19000047)
QQ9828 ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 20 YEARS

This incredible looking aircraft not only wears a distinctive green and gold commemorative livery, it honors the 60th anniversary of Australian racing legend Sir Jack Brabham's historic 1966 Formula 1 World Championship (where he won the title in a car bearing his own name). The fuselage features artwork of his iconic Brabham BT19 racecar.

This aircraft was previously owned by America's JetBlue and was registered as N258JB. It arrived in Brisbane on the 18th of December 2025 from San Jose (SJO) with stops at San Diego (SDM), Oakland (OAK), Kailua Kona (KOA), Majuro (MAJ) and then Brisbane (BNE). On the 19th of December it departed for Rockhampton and stayed there ever since.

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EEU (MSN 147) 12 YEARS

SC AVIATION DASSAULT FALCON 7X N360PZ (MSN 037) 17 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRB (MSN 032)
CX150 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 10 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZK (MSN 43217)
NZ146 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 9 YEARS

LINK AIRWAYS SAAB 340B VH-VED (MSN 340B-442)
SF34 ARRIVING FROM DUBBO (DBO) 28 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-LQB (MSN 4343)
QLK386D OFF TO WAGGA WAGGA (WGA) 15 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737 MAX 8 VH-8IH (MSN 66650)
VA466 OFF TO PERTH (PER) 2 YEARS

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE AIRBUS KC-30A A39-006 (MSN 892)

LINK AIRWAYS FAIRCHILD METRO 23 VH-VET (MSN DC-839B)
SW4 OFF TO THANGOOL (THG) 33 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4D (MSN 55298)
QLK1564 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 2 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18915 (MSN 179)
CI53 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 8 YEARS

ALLIANCE AIRLINES FOKKER 70 VH-QQR (MSN 11564)
QQ8605 ARRIVING FROM MOOMBA (MOO) 30 YEARS

ALLIANCE AIRLINES EMBRAER E190AR VH-A3U (MSN 19000629)
QQ4824 ARRIVING FROM THE GRANITES (GTS) 13 YEARS

ALLIANCE AIRLINES FOKKER 70 VH-QQW (MSN 11569)
QQ8511 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH (MOV) 30 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPI (MSN 705)
QF524 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 20 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYX (MSN 12611)
JQ656 OFF TO CANBERRA (CBR) 8 MONTHS

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE C-27J SPARTAN A34-004 (MSN 4183/AUS04)

QUEENSLAND POLICE BEECH KING AIR 360C VH-8PD (MSN FM-112) 2 YEARS

NEXUS AIRLINES DASH 8 400 VH-8XC (MSN 4331)
CT866 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH (MOV) 16 YEARS