Australia's federal transport minister, Catherine King, has called an urgent meeting with Airservices Australia after a near-miss between two aircraft on the tarmac at Sydney airport, the country's busiest. The intervention follows several days of delays and mounting safety concerns, with reports pointing to insufficient air traffic controller numbers as a contributing factor at the airport.

The near-miss occurred on Sunday morning and involved a Jetstar plane and a Qatar Airways aircraft, which almost collided on the tarmac. King said she was "not happy" about the incident and had asked Airservices Australia to discuss a "pathway forward" with her. The episode has renewed scrutiny of staffing and safety standards in Australian air traffic control amid a period of significant disruption at the airport.