Airports across Australia in Travel Conundrum as Passengers in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns and more Experiences 27 Cancellations with over 500 Delays by Qantas, Jetstar, Air New Zealand and others

Published on December 10, 2025

A wave of operational turbulence suddenly hit Australia today. Travelers in six key cities immediately experienced disruption. For instance, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns, Perth and Adelaide all reported substantial flight issues. Airlines canceled 27 services outright. They also delayed an astounding 541 other flights nationwide. The resulting chaos impacted hundreds of travelers across the country. Major carriers largely drove the bulk of this massive schedule breakdown. Specifically, Qantas and Jetstar, accounted for the vast majority of the grounded and delayed services. These simultaneous failures have immediately caused widespread travel uncertainty.

Major Airports Affected

The impact of the operational challenges was widely felt, with all six observed airports reporting figures for both grounded and delayed flights.

The busiest hub for cancellations was Melbourne Tullamarine, where a total of 16 flights were grounded. Additionally, 149 flight delays were reported at the Melbourne hub, indicating a severe impediment to passenger flow and schedule adherence in the state of Victoria.

The largest total for flight delays was recorded at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, where 151 services were impacted by significant schedule shifts. This large number of delays, combined with 4 recorded cancellations, underscores the pressure being applied to the eastern seaboard’s largest air travel complex.

In Queensland, Brisbane Airport saw 3 cancellations and 104 delays. This placed it as the third-most affected airport in terms of overall delays, necessitating extensive re-routing and management of backlogged services.

The disruption in Western Australia was centralized at Perth Airport, which recorded 1 cancellation alongside 79 delays. While the cancellation count was low, the high number of delayed services points to a significant impact on passengers traveling through the western gateway.

Further regional impact was observed at Cairns Airport, where 2 cancellations and 19 delays were recorded and at Adelaide Airport in South Australia, where 1 cancellation and 39 delays were logged. The collective figures across these six crucial points of air travel underscore the synchronized operational difficulties that were faced across the entire continent of Australia.

Impacted Airlines

Qantas was confirmed to be the most affected primary carrier across multiple locations. A total of 6 cancellations and 70 delays were directly attributed to the national carrier and its regional affiliate. These services were concentrated across three major hubs: Sydney, where 2 cancellations and 39 delays were registered; Brisbane, with 3 cancellations and 22 delays and Adelaide, where 1 cancellation and 8 delays were logged.

The second highest number of grounded flights was registered against Jetstar, which accumulated 10 cancellations across two separate airports. Specifically, 8 cancellations and 59 delays were reported at Melbourne Tullamarine, making it the most severely affected single airline operation at any one airport. An additional 2 cancellations and 6 delays were recorded at Cairns.

The regional arm, QantasLink, contributed significantly to the issues at the Melbourne gateway, with 6 cancellations and 39 delays being noted, compounding the pressure on the city’s services.

International connectivity was also affected, notably by Air New Zealand, which was responsible for 4 cancellations and 12 delays. These disruptions were split between Sydney (2 cancellations, 6 delays) and Melbourne Tullamarine (2 cancellations, 6 delays).

Finally, a single cancellation and 1 delay were attributed to South African Airways at Perth, contributing to the total disruption experienced by passengers in Western Australia.

Beyond these specific figures, delays were being experienced by several other Airlines, like Virgin Australia, Regional Express Airlines, Alliance Airlines and more.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The extensive volume of delayed and cancelled flights across Australia’s major cities—Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns, Perth and Adelaide—will inevitably be associated with a substantial disruption to local tourism and business travel. The grounding of 27 flights means that a considerable number of both inbound and outbound passenger movements were terminated, leading to a direct loss of pre-booked accommodation, local transportation and activity expenditures in the six affected cities.

Furthermore, the 541 recorded delays, including the 151 delays at Sydney and the 149 delays at Melbourne, mean that arrival times for thousands of visitors were significantly pushed back. This operational slip is understood to have forced the cancellation or postponement of scheduled early-day appointments, connections to onward regional transport (like to Cairns) and tourism activities, thereby placing strain on the local service economies reliant on punctual air traffic. The capacity of Australia’s hospitality and event sectors to service these delayed passengers was therefore tested by the simultaneous nature of the disruption across multiple key regional and international arrival points.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Given that 27 flights were cancelled and 541 flights were subject to delays, immediate resolution of travel arrangements is necessitated for all affected passengers. It is highlighted that the affected passengers must refer directly to the operating carriers—namely Qantas, Jetstar, QantasLink, Air New Zealand or South African Airways—to ascertain the official status of their service. Due to the concentration of the problem across Australia and the high number of disruptions, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney, passengers should be prepared for potential high call volumes and lengthy resolution times.

All passengers whose flights were included in the 27 cancellations or the 541 delays are advised to keep detailed records of any secondary costs incurred. Compensation entitlements for passengers whose services were cancelled by Qantas, Jetstar, or other carriers must be pursued through the respective airline’s formal claim or guest compensation policy procedures. This approach will facilitate the necessary re-booking or refund processes that are required following this widespread operational anomaly across the Australian travel network, spanning from Cairns to Perth and Adelaide.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.