Major Flight Disruption in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide Creates Travel Interruption across Australia as Jetstar, Qantas and others Suspends 31 Flights with 730 Delays, New Update

Published on December 5, 2025

A severe operational disruption has been confirmed across major air travel hubs in Australia today. Consequently, numerous flight movements have been significantly compromised. Overall, 31 flights were cancelled and an extraordinary 730 flights were affected by delays. This chaos was particularly acute at five key airports. Melbourne Tullamarine was the most heavily impacted, registering the highest number of groundings. Furthermore, considerable strain was placed upon operations in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide. The difficulties were largely borne by major domestic carriers. Jetstar and Qantas services, along with their affiliates, were repeatedly cited in the disruption data. Therefore, the travel plans of thousands of passengers were abruptly interrupted. This situation highlights the widespread turbulence currently being experienced by the country’s aviation sector. The full scale of the logistical challenge is being assessed.

Major Airports Affected

The five major airports listed in the disruption reports confirmed substantial individual figures, underscoring the severity of the operational challenges. Melbourne Tullamarine registered the highest number of flight groundings, with 10 cancellations reported, representing a significant impact on traffic flow into and out of the state of Victoria. Compounding this, an extensive number of operations were affected by delays, totaling 255 flight services at this same hub. This dual pressure on both scheduled departures and arrivals placed the Melbourne air traffic system under notable stress.

The network at Sydney Airport also contended with considerable challenges. Eight total flights were formally cancelled, while 226 flight services were delayed. When combined with the figures from Melbourne, the sheer quantity of delayed traffic in the two primary gateways of Australia reached 481 flights. This high number underscores the operational bottleneck that was created today.

Further south, Adelaide Airport in South Australia reported three cancellations, with a further 72 flights affected by delays. Moving to Queensland, Brisbane Airport recorded five cancellations, with 153 flight services experiencing delays. Finally, the regional hub of Cairns Airport also saw five cancellations, alongside 24 recorded delays.

Impacted Airlines

Jetstar recorded the highest number of direct cancellations among the carriers. A total of 8 flight services were suspended at Melbourne Tullamarine alone. Further groundings included 5 flights at Sydney, 2 at Brisbane and 2 at Adelaide Int’l. In terms of delays, Jetstar services were affected by 54 delays at Melbourne Tullamarine, 47 at Sydney, 25 at Brisbane and 8 at Adelaide Int’l.

Qantas, the nation’s flagship carrier, was also significantly impacted across multiple airports. In the cancellations column, 2 groundings were reported at Melbourne Tullamarine, 1 at Brisbane and 1 at Adelaide Int’l. Qantas also contended with 52 delays at Melbourne Tullamarine, 38 at Brisbane and 17 at Adelaide Int’l. The regional service provider, QantasLink, recorded 1 cancellation and 23 delays at Sydney, 1 cancellation and 21 delays at Brisbane and 3 cancellations along with 7 delays at Cairns Int’l.

Finally, Virgin Australia services were also subjected to operational turbulence. Two flights were cancelled and 51 delayed at Sydney, 1 flight was cancelled and 34 delayed at Brisbane and 2 flights were cancelled with 2 delays at Cairns Int’l. The widespread nature of these disruptions confirms that the operational environment was challenging for all major domestic operators.

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

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

Given the high volume of travel disruption—31 cancellations and 730 delays—across key gateway cities, a discernible impact on local tourism and business travel within the affected regions must be considered inevitable. The metropolitan hubs of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are key economic drivers for Australia and disruptions of this scale often have immediate financial and logistical repercussions. Thousands of passengers were prevented from reaching their intended destinations on time, or were significantly delayed in their travel plans into or out of these capitals.

Furthermore, regional hubs like Cairns, which are heavily dependent on reliable air transport for their tourism economies, would have been particularly vulnerable to the five flight suspensions recorded there. Similarly, the movement of people and goods through Adelaide Int’l Airport was severely restricted by the 72 delays, leading to ripple effects throughout the South Australia travel industry. The cumulative effect of groundings in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide establishes a clear and pervasive strain on the country’s interconnected travel and tourism infrastructure. Timely access for both domestic and international visitors was demonstrably compromised.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by the confirmed 31 cancellations or the 730 delays are strongly advised to seek immediate updates regarding their booking status. Direct communication should be established with the operating carrier, which includes Jetstar, Qantas, QantasLink, or Virgin Australia, for the most accurate information.

The immediate verification of current and subsequent connecting flight statuses is essential. Since the operational difficulties were widespread across Australia, it is probable that onward travel plans may also be affected. Information on rebooking procedures and potential compensation entitlements may be obtained through the customer service portals of the respective airlines. In light of the severe operational turbulence experienced at Melbourne Tullamarine, Sydney and other key airports, passengers are encouraged to maintain vigilance, remain patient and allow extra time for processing and re-routing measures at the airport terminals. The cooperation of the traveling public is requested while these significant scheduling irregularities are being resolved by the affected carriers.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.