This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/mar/29/sydney-airport-flights-grounded-air-traffic-control-tower-evacuated

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Sydney airport: flights grounded after smoke detected in air traffic control tower Sydney airport flights resume after air traffic control tower evacuation causes delays
(30 minutes later)
The air traffic control tower at Sydney airport has been evacuated after smoke was detected, causing major disruption at the international hub. The air traffic control tower at Sydney airport was evacuated on Friday morning after smoke was detected, triggering an emergency response and causing major disruption at the international hub.
Air Services Australia confirmed around noon that a full ground-stop had been put in place following the detection of smoke, preventing planes from departing or landing.Air Services Australia confirmed around noon that a full ground-stop had been put in place following the detection of smoke, preventing planes from departing or landing.
Radar images showed aircraft circling the area and being diverted away from the Mascot airport.Radar images showed aircraft circling the area and being diverted away from the Mascot airport.
“The firefighters are in attendance,” a spokeswoman said.“The firefighters are in attendance,” a spokeswoman said.
By 12.18pm, ASA said some planes were being allowed to land at the airport, albeit slowly, but there were still no planes taking off. At 12.37pm, ASA confirmed firefighters had cleared staff to return to the tower and said they expected it to be operational within 10 minutes.
UPDATE: Air Traffic Control in Sydney are now processing arrivals. Aircraft are landing albeit a slower rate. Nil departures at this time. @SydneyAirport The incident caused widespread delays, with airlines including Qantas and Virgin Australia advising passengers to go online to check their flight status this afternoon.
Passengers waiting at the airport or flying into Sydney tweeted about the delays on Friday, including former Greens senator Scott Ludlam who wrote: “flight crew just announced the Sydney air traffic control tower has been evacuated”. Former Greens senator Scott Ludlam was among affected passengers tweeting about their experiences on Friday as the problems unfolded. “Flight crew just announced the Sydney air traffic control tower has been evacuated,” he wrote from his inbound flight.
It has suddenly gone VERY quiet at Sydney Airport. Nothing in or out, diversions everywhere. pic.twitter.com/kSvLZDl3uf Others said they were stuck on the tarmac.
When you’re on the tarmac @SydneyAirport about to take off for holidays and the pilot announces a fire in the control tower, everyone’s been evacuated and airport in lockdown #FMD #badvariance
just chilling in a plane on the tarmac at sydney airport until air traffic control tower gets un-evacuated. @virginaustralia which cupboard is the wine in https://t.co/8vVscakTlw
The ASA said any reports that the airport was in “lockdown” during the tower evacuation were incorrect.
SydneySydney
Air transportAir transport
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content