Travellers have been left frustrated after more than eighty domestic flights were cancelled at Sydney airport between 6 am this morning morning and 7.30 pm tonight.
The cancellation was particularly upsetting because it happened on the new public holiday, the ‘National Day of Mourning’ in honour of the Queen’s death. Furthermore, Victorians receive a public holiday for the AFL grand final on September 23rd, too, meaning that the flight cancellations ruined many Aussie’s extra long weekend plans.
Forty-five flights were cancelled leaving Sydney airport, and forty one flights into the NSW airport were also cancelled. The airport has cited bad weather and strong winds as the reason for the long list of cancellations.
“In anticipation of bad weather today, domestic airlines advised overnight that some services would be affected,” Sydney Airport said in a statement.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.
“Passengers who are travelling today are recommended to arrive two hours prior to domestic flight departures, and three hours for international services.”
Head of Sydney airport’s Media and Communications, Josh Clements, told 2GB radio station that they decided to cancel the flights last night.
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He said that the conditions made only one runway usable, and the closure affected Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Rex flights. The airlines are allegedly working to put the passengers on replacement flights. However, Friday marks the beginning of school holidays, meaning many flights are already fully booked.
Sydney Airport chief executive Geoff Culbert said that he expects Sydney airport to be extremely busy over the coming weeks.
“The school holidays will test us again, and we are expecting the terminals to be busy during peak periods, especially Thursday, Friday and Monday mornings,” he told ABC.
“Passengers should continue to arrive 2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights, and three hours ahead for international.”
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