Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport experienced major disruptions on 15 January 2026 after a spike in sick and carers leave left Airservices Australia short of air-traffic controllers. Flow-control measures led to at least 25 cancellations and system-wide delays of up to 90 minutes. Qantas axed 30 services, Virgin Australia eight and Jetstar six, with knock-on effects reported in Brisbane and Perth.
January is peak season for fly-in-fly-out workers heading to mining sites and for expatriates relocating ahead of the school year, magnifying the impact on corporate travel. Airlines re-accommodated passengers but warned that limited spare capacity could push rebooking into next week.
![Air-Traffic-Controller Shortage Cancels Dozens of Sydney Flights]()
For travellers whose plans are suddenly upended by these disruptions, VisaHQ can help smooth the journey by securing or adjusting Australian visas quickly online. Its streamlined service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/ is especially handy for FIFO workers, corporate teams and relocating families who cannot afford additional administrative setbacks on top of flight delays.
Airservices said it surpassed its 2025 recruitment target of 85 new controllers but unexpected absences continue to expose staffing gaps. The agency is accelerating training and reviewing rostering resilience.
Travel managers are advised to check status alerts before airport transfers, allow extra connection times and consider remote alternatives for time-sensitive meetings. The incident adds pressure on Airservices and the Government to fast-track controller training pipelines and explore automation to safeguard Australia’s aviation recovery.
January is peak season for fly-in-fly-out workers heading to mining sites and for expatriates relocating ahead of the school year, magnifying the impact on corporate travel. Airlines re-accommodated passengers but warned that limited spare capacity could push rebooking into next week.
For travellers whose plans are suddenly upended by these disruptions, VisaHQ can help smooth the journey by securing or adjusting Australian visas quickly online. Its streamlined service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/ is especially handy for FIFO workers, corporate teams and relocating families who cannot afford additional administrative setbacks on top of flight delays.
Airservices said it surpassed its 2025 recruitment target of 85 new controllers but unexpected absences continue to expose staffing gaps. The agency is accelerating training and reviewing rostering resilience.
Travel managers are advised to check status alerts before airport transfers, allow extra connection times and consider remote alternatives for time-sensitive meetings. The incident adds pressure on Airservices and the Government to fast-track controller training pipelines and explore automation to safeguard Australia’s aviation recovery.
