iscover
For an air traffic controller working in the ever-evolving world of air traffic management, one of the most underappreciated, but yet critical, challenges is knowing exactly which aircraft is talking and where they are. With congested frequencies, overlapping call signs, and aircraft often flying beyond radar range, controllers are sometimes left guessing.
Originally slated to come online on 27 November this year, the controlled airspace at Ballina Byron will now be introduced on 11 June 2026.
The trial, which initially included 38 routes between Australian/New Zealand and Indonesian/Singaporean airspace, will be extended to include the national air navigation service providers of Papua New Guinea and Fiji, as well as three additional airlines.
Citing official BITRE data for the month, Airservices pointed to an average of 82 per cent on-time arrivals and on-time departures in April, as well as a cancellation rate of 2 per cent, in its latest Network Overview report for May 2025.
Speaking before Senate Estimates on Monday, CEO Rob Sharp said Airservices had found out about the naval exercises at 9:58am, 30 minutes after they had started, as reported in The Australian Financial Review. A hazard alert was issued within two minutes, with 49 flights ultimately diverted.
The OneSKY-CMATS system, which aims to unify air traffic management across Australia’s civil and military airspace, is slated to go live in the third quarter of 2027, with controllers to be trained on the new equipment starting in March next year.
