Continuing ATC Delays at KSA

Delays awaiting takeoff are sometimes unavoidable but in Sydney they appear to be far worse than overseas, For example have seen many instances of takeoffs being delayed because of an aircraft on short final when in fact the aircraft on approach is at about 2000 feet. To use San Francisco as an example they would probably have two departures prior to the landing of the aircraft on ‘short final. I am not trying to be critical of individual controllers but rather a 1950’s system of control that has been allowed to continue into the eighties.

Once we are airborne our next hurdles the SID itself. Although improved in certain areas such as INS direct clearances to Eildon Weir from 8 DME on Runway 16, some departures are just fuel-guzzling exercises. For us to depart on Runway 16 bound for Singapore we are nearly always obliged to climb on a southerly heading to 3000 feet, then turn left and cross the VOR at 5000 or above. At heavy weights we can use up to 25 track miles prior to set heading. There is at least a five minute delay plus the conse- quent extra fuel burn-off. That is an extreme example and Controllers assist in reducing airtime in the cruise phase by use of INS direct clearances (eg Derby to Parkes) but savings like this are often negated by what is clearly the weak link in the Sydney system the arrival sequence.

Probably the most frustrating encounters with Sydney ATC occur on early descent. We normally start our descent at around 100 miles (if I get my three times table correct) and this descent is Predicated at 290 knots. At around 90 miles we are sometimes told to reduce to 270 and then to 250 knots. Instantly we are high on the descent profile – we ask why they couldn’t inform us of this requirement three minutes earlier and we would adjust our descent distance. The reason, I understand, is the flow controller decides the landing sequence around 100 miles out and the sequence he wants is then passed back to the controllers to implement, Control of this nature is not encountered outside Australia.

Another situation which usually gets four nods of disbelief on the fight deck is that after holding at about 60-80 DME you are instructed ‘to cancel holding and increase speed to best possible on the descent. ATC will no doubt have a good reason for this one but it shouldn’t happen and it does not happen anywhere else. Speed reduction is used in the final approach area but not as much as at many overseas airports.

An interesting sideline is that speed control in Sydney is mostly a reduction whereas in Melbourne where required it is usually increase speed on descent or maintained 340 knots until 20 DME. Once again ATC can explain this with airspace differences but! know where both I and the Qantas accountant would prefer to operate.

Landing aircraft are not as closely spaced as they could be and this must contribute to less than optimum use of the airspace. I am fully aware that Sydney is a difficult airport to achieve optimum use because of crossing runways and the fact that a dedicated takeoff runway is not available but I believe that the Department of Aviation have a lot to learn by studying operations overseas (despite their total and continued insistence that they have nothing to learn).

How can ATC delays at Sydney be reduced? DofA are spending some ten million dollars building new high speed turnoffs to reduce runway occupancy times but I believe that this money would be better spent if used to equip our controllers with modern up to date radar that would allow them to carry out their function more efficiently. This is happening but will still be several years before being fully operational as the new units are being installed on an alphabetical basis! DofA though primarily need to change a lot of their basic practices and procedures before the problems found at Sydney will go away.

In a later article I shall focus on another aspect of Australian aviation whose standard is below that found overseas in comparable countries and that is our meteorological service.

Stewart Fraser is a First Officer with Qantas, this article is based on his personal submission to The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Expenditure – Aviation.