Major airport suffers fourth near miss in recent months as jet is forced to brake hard

A major international airport is facing mounting scrutiny after investigators released preliminary findings into a series of runway incidents and near collisions.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released preliminary reports Sept. 30.

The incidents began July 27, when a Qantas Boeing 737 was cleared to cross a runway in front of a QantasLink Dash 8 that was landing, according to the ATSB.

Nine days later, a Qantas Airbus A321 had to brake while taxiing to allow another Qantas 737 to pass in front of it.

In a statement to Fox News Digital Thursday, Sydney Airport said safety was its "highest priority."

"These investigations will look to understand the significance of staff resourcing pressures within the tower, specifically, the practice of combining operational roles, the routine reliance on overtime to fill shifts and training or supervision activities being conducted alongside operational duties," Angus Mitchell, ATSB chief commissioner, said in a press release.

"We are examining the effectiveness of the measures in place to manage this identified risk," Mitchell added.

The incidents came as Sydney Airport recorded the highest rate of ground conflicts per aircraft movement among Australia's major airports in the post-COVID period, about 20% above the national average, according to a separate ATSB analysis.

Fox News Digital reached out to the ATSB for further comment and insight.