Sydney air traffic controllers warn of crash risk after airspace redesign

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Exclusive: Federal government notified after whistleblower says controllers have ‘minimal confidence in their ability to handle’ rule changes related to second airport

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Air traffic controllers at Sydney airport have warned federal safety regulators they have “grave concerns” about changes to airspace rules introduced last month, likening the situation to the months leading up to a crash in Washington DC in which 67 people died.

Guardian Australia can reveal the federal government was notified on Thursday of a confidential complaint considered by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), in which an experienced air traffic controller warned in June that changes related to the new Western Sydney International airport had been rushed, with “inadequate training for controllers, of all experience levels”.

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