Australia in Travel Stress as Passengers across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth Deals with over a Dozen Cancellations and Hundreds of Delays by Qantas, Virgin Australia and others, New Update

Published on November 23, 2025

Air travel across Australia has hit a snag. Today, a wave of flight cancellations and delays has swept through the nation’s busiest airports. Passengers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are facing significant disruption. This widespread interruption is severely impacting the travel plans of numerous. Major domestic carriers, including Qantas and Virgin Australia, are at the heart of these operational challenges. Consequently, travelers are enduring frustrating waits and unexpected schedule changes. The sheer volume of delayed flights suggests a significant strain on the entire aviation network. This report will unpack the scale of the crisis, detail the specific impacts on major airlines and explore the potential ripple effects on Australian tourism.

Major Airports Affected

The disruption has been broadly distributed across the four surveyed international gateways, with major passenger congestion reported across the eastern seaboard and Western Australia.

Sydney Airport, as the nation’s busiest air travel hub, has been the most severely impacted by the delays. A total of 7 cancellations were registered at this facility, but the impact was primarily felt through the substantial volume of hold-ups, with 118 services delayed. The magnitude of delayed services at Sydney suggests a serious strain on air traffic flow and passenger processing capabilities.

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport recorded the second-highest volume of disruption. Here, 5 flights were cancelled, accompanied by 101 delays. The density of delays in Melbourne indicates widespread congestion that would have presented immediate challenges for both airport management and passengers attempting to navigate their journeys.

Further north, Brisbane Airport experienced 3 cancellations and 61 delays. While the overall numbers are lower than the major eastern hubs, the impact on travelers in Queensland remains significant, affecting connections across the state and to other capital cities in Australia.

In Western Australia, Perth International Airport also faced operational difficulties. A total of 2 cancellations and 45 delays were logged at this facility. The disruption in Perth is particularly noteworthy given the airport’s critical role as a primary gateway for transcontinental travel within Australia.

Impacted Airlines

The operational challenges were predominantly shouldered by the country’s major domestic carriers, Qantas and Virgin Australia, with Jetstar also experiencing noteworthy disruptions. The figures demonstrate that no single airline was insulated from the network-wide strain.

Virgin Australia registered the highest number of cancellations across the four airports, with a total of 8 flights grounded (5 in Sydney, 2 in Melbourne Tullamarine and 1 in Perth Int’l). Furthermore, Virgin Australia services experienced a high volume of delays, accumulating 59 hold-ups across the four locations, with 16 in Sydney, 18 in Melbourne Tullamarine, 14 in Brisbane and 11 in Perth Int’l.

The Qantas Group also faced considerable operational issues. Qantas mainline services recorded a total of 5 cancellations, with 2 cancellations logged in Sydney and 3 in Melbourne Tullamarine. The number of delayed Qantas flights was substantial, with 31 services delayed in Sydney and 20 in Melbourne Tullamarine.

Jetstar, the low-cost carrier, registered a total of 2 cancellations, split between Brisbane (1 cancellation) and Perth Int’l (1 cancellation). Jetstar passengers were also subjected to 6 delays in Brisbane and 11 delays in Perth Int’l.

Beyond these specific figures, minor delays were being experienced by several other Airlines, like QantasLink, Regional Express Airlines, Alliance Airlines, Air New Zealand and more.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The widespread flight disruptions are expected to have a notable impact on the tourism sectors within the affected cities across Australia. Cancellations and prolonged delays at hubs like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane directly impede the movement of both domestic and international visitors, leading to missed tours, postponed hotel check-ins and a reduction in immediate tourist spending.

The challenges at Perth Int’l, a crucial hub for accessing Western Australia, suggest that regional tourism dependent on flights originating from the eastern states may also be constrained. For a sector that relies heavily on consistent travel flows, a day of over a dozen cancellations and hundreds of delays can quickly translate into lost revenue for accommodation providers, tour operators and local businesses. The resulting frustration and uncertainty among travelers may also damage perceptions of travel reliability within Australia, an issue that could take time to fully mitigate.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted are strongly advised to take immediate and proactive steps to manage the impact of the delays and cancellations.

The primary recommendation is for all affected passengers to be in direct contact with their operating airline—whether it be Qantas, Virgin Australia, or Jetstar—prior to traveling to the airport. Information regarding re-accommodation options, flight status updates and next steps will be communicated directly by the carrier via their official channels, such as email, SMS, or mobile application alerts.

Passengers should be aware that many airlines operating in Australia maintain compensation policies for delays and cancellations within their control. Depending on the length of the delay and the airline’s policy, affected travelers may be entitled to reasonable reimbursement for additional costs, such as meal vouchers, accommodation and transport. All receipts for claimed expenses must be retained for submission. The ability to rebook onto a different flight or receive a refund should also be confirmed directly with the airline, as options will be dependent on current availability within the carriers’ respective networks.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.