Major airlines cancel 34 flights with 272 more delayed | World | News
Major airlines canceled 34 flights and a further 272 were delayed, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Significant delays were recorded in Australian and New Zealand aviation networks on Sunday 26 April.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded in major travel hubs such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.
Airlines such as Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia were responsible for most of the cancellations, but the impact was felt across the wider travel network.
With many flights out of New Zealand, Australian passengers faced long waits.
The biggest delays were experienced at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport; 84 flights experienced departure, arrival or timing problems.
Seven flights from Victoria airport were also canceled throughout the day.
All canceled flights were Virgin Australia or Jetstar.
Sydney, Australia’s busiest airport, had the highest number of cancellations as 10 flights did not take off and many passengers were stranded in the popular location.
Additionally, 69 more flights were delayed.
Another 62 flights in Brisbane also experienced delays due to long waiting times.
In Auckland, New Zealand, eight flights were canceled and there were 44 delays.
These disruptions particularly affected long-haul connecting flights from the country.
This disruption was much less severe in Wellington but four flights were still cancelled.
The travel chaos comes at a time when concerns about air travel are rising due to the ongoing Middle East conflict and fuel prices.
Although this is not the cause of the chaos, airlines in New Zealand have commented on the impact of rising energy costs.
On April 7, Air New Zealand announced it would cut flights and increase ticket prices throughout May and June, noting that it was among the first carriers to implement widespread fare increases when the conflict began.
Passengers affected by the travel disruption have been asked to contact their airline to discuss compensation.
