Dozens of canceled flights and long delays at major Australian airports: this is the cause of the chaos
- Dozens of flights were canceled in Sydney on Friday
- Flow effect of shortage of air traffic controllers
- Strong winds are predicted adding to the chaos at the airport
Travelers have been warned to expect major flight delays and cancellations as chaos hits Australia’s busiest airports for a second consecutive day.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have already canceled at least 20 flights on Friday morning, a day after many delays or cancellations along Australia’s east coast.
The widespread delays and cancellations were caused by a severe shortage of air traffic controllers calling in sick, leading to the closure of airspace south of Brisbane.
The disruptions affected thousands of travelers and continue to have a domino effect across the country as of Friday morning.
Strong westerly winds forecast for Sydney have added to the chaos.
At Sydney Airport there were busy scenes at the beginning of Friday (photo) where a number of flights have already been cancelled
“Sydney Airport has been informed by Airservices Australia that operations will be on one runway today due to high winds,” a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
As a result, there are some flight delays and cancellations. Airlines are working hard to re-accommodate passengers and get them on their way.
“If passengers have questions about the status of their flight, we recommend that they contact their airline.”
Thousands of passengers have already flown through Sydney Airport, forming long queues as NSW school holidays kicked off.
“It’s a long line, so we’ll stay here for a while,” one family told Sunrise.
One woman added, “I got here on time, but they’re running late.”
A holidaymaker arrived at the airport to travel to the Gold Coast before learning his flight had been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Frustrated passengers took to social media on Friday to vent their anger after their flights were cancelled.
A shortage of air traffic controllers in Brisbane on Thursday caused widespread disruptions to flights along Australia’s east coast, which has had a flow-through effect
‘Cheers @VirginAustralia for the text as I travel to the airport from the country and say my 9.30am meb>syd flight is now at 4.30pm. No more seats on a flight for the next 7 hours? Business must be good. It’s okay, only 2 more hours until customer service opens!’ a woman smoked.
Another traveler tweeted: @VirginAustralia canceled a flight so we’re all trying to figure out what’s going on and they don’t have a single member of staff here to help.’
A third wrote: “Jetstar, please stop canceling flights to Sydney.”
Qantas told Daily Mail Australia a number of services in Sydney will be delayed and canceled due to weather, resulting in single runway operations.
Passengers will be transferred to the next available flight.
Jetstar and Virgin Australia have also been contacted for comment.
Qantas had to cancel ten flights on Thursday due to airspace restrictions
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a strong wind warning for much of the NSW coast from Port Macquarie to Batemans Bay.
Qantas said 100 flights across the group were delayed on Thursday, while 10 services were canceled due to airspace restrictions.
Virgin Australia also took the brunt with flights to and from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Ballina forced to operate around uncontrolled airspace, adding time and distance.
Around 2.3 million travelers are expected to pass through Sydney Airport in the next two weeks, making it one of the busiest school holidays since pre-Covid.