Major Travel Chaos Hit Oceania as Australia, New Zealand Face 129 Cancellations with 1592 Delays by Jetstar, Qantas, Air New Zealand and others, Affecting Thousands of Passengers across Brisbane, Sydney, Wellington, Auckland and more

Published on November 28, 2025

Airlines across Oceania faced severe operational challenges today. Unprecedented flight chaos struck major hubs in Australia and New Zealand. Specifically, 129 flights were cancelled and 1,592 more were delayed. This instability affected thousands of travellers across the region. Major carriers like Jetstar, Qantas and Air New Zealand bore the brunt of these disruptions. The sheer scale of the service breakdown created travel nightmares. The impact was felt sharply across key metropolitan airports. Passengers experienced significant delays in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Furthermore, disruptions extended to Perth and Adelaide. Across the Tasman, primary gateways in New Zealand —including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington —reported massive operational pressure. Consequently, this widespread failure requires careful analysis to understand the root causes and full economic consequences.

Major Airports Affected

The impact of the current aviation stress has been unevenly distributed, with certain major international gateways in Australia and New Zealand bearing the brunt of the instability. The cumulative figures demonstrate that the major hubs in Australia recorded a total of 96 cancellations and 1,366 delays, while airports in New Zealand accounted for 33 cancellations and 326 delays.

Sydney Airport (SYD) was registered with the highest volume of delays, totaling 399, alongside 25 cancellations. This high number of disruptions at Sydney, the primary gateway to Australia, suggests a substantial bottleneck in one of the region’s most critical air traffic corridors.

In Australia’s state of Queensland, Brisbane Airport (BNE) reported the highest cancellation rate with 35 flights grounded, coupled with 338 delays. This disruption profile at Brisbane indicates a concentrated difficulty in managing scheduled services. Meanwhile, Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) was subject to 20 cancellations and 319 delays, confirming the operational challenges are firmly established across the key eastern seaboard of Australia. Further west, Perth Airport (PER) recorded 12 cancellations and 116 delays, while Adelaide Airport (ADL) was impacted by 4 cancellations and 94 delays, showing that the operational strains extended across the entire continent of Australia.

Across the Tasman, the three major hubs of New Zealand also experienced considerable disruption. Auckland Airport (AKL) led the figures with 15 cancellations and 169 delays. Christchurch Airport (CHC) followed closely, with 13 cancellations and 68 delays, while Wellington Int’l (WLG) registered 5 cancellations and 89 delays. The concentration of the issues at these key New Zealand travel points highlights the operational pressure on the nation’s main carrier.

Impacted Airlines

The operational difficulties have been shared across all major airlines serving the Australia and New Zealand markets. A detailed review of the cancellation data highlights the primary carriers affected by these service interruptions.

Jetstar was registered with the highest number of cancellations across the Australian airports, totaling 34 flights: 9 in Brisbane, 11 in Sydney, 11 in Melbourne and 3 in Perth. The carrier also accounted for 181 delays across the four major Australian hubs.

Qantas and its regional subsidiary QantasLink were also significantly impacted. Qantas recorded 8 cancellations and 87 delays in Brisbane, 9 cancellations and 129 delays in Sydney, 3 cancellations and 92 delays in Melbourne, 3 cancellations and 30 delays in Perth and 1 cancellation and 21 delays in Adelaide Int’l. QantasLink added to the tally with 2 cancellations and 61 delays in Brisbane, 1 cancellation and 51 delays in Sydney and 1 cancellation and 24 delays in Melbourne Tullamarine.

Virgin Australia faced a high number of delays, accounting for 76 delays in Brisbane, 82 in Sydney, 101 in Melbourne, 29 in Perth and 21 in Adelaide Int’l, alongside 9, 4, 5, 6 and 1 cancellation respectively at these Australian airports.

Air New Zealand was overwhelmingly affected within its domestic market, being responsible for all 15 cancellations and 129 delays at Auckland, all 5 cancellations and 69 delays at Wellington Int’l and 12 of 13 cancellations and 53 delays at Christchurch. This indicates a high level of localized pressure on the carrier within New Zealand. Alliance Airlines, operating within Australia, was also registered with 5 cancellations and 38 delays in Brisbane and 1 cancellation and 4 delays in Adelaide.

Beyond these specific figures, delays were being experienced by several other Airlines.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The extensive cancellations and delays in cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington are anticipated to generate direct commercial friction for the local tourism and hospitality sectors. The grounding of 129 flights represents a direct cessation of scheduled passenger arrivals, leading to immediate and quantifiable losses for pre-booked accommodation, tour operators and ground transport services in Australia and New Zealand.

When approximately 1,592 scheduled services are delayed, the effective duration of many tourist trips is subsequently curtailed. This reduction in the time travellers spend on the ground correlates directly with a lower overall expenditure on hospitality, retail and local activities across the affected metropolitan areas. The operational issues at these principal gateways—which function as vital arteries for both internal and international travel into Australia and New Zealand—are expected to cause a cascading effect that disrupts regional connectivity, a critical component of the tourism economies in both nations. The reliability of travel to and from the region, especially during peak seasons, is placed under scrutiny when such widespread disruption is experienced.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers impacted by these widespread flight disruptions in Australia and New Zealand are advised to take immediate, proactive steps. Firstly, direct communication with the operating airline—including Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand—is highly recommended. Flight status information should be rigorously checked via official airline websites or mobile applications before departure from home or the hotel.

Secondly, passengers are entitled to certain rights under consumer protection laws, particularly in Australia, regarding significant delays or cancellations. Re-booking onto the next available service, or requesting a refund, should be explored with the carrier. If the disruption is deemed to be within the airline’s control, assistance such as accommodation and meals may be provided. For passengers in New Zealand, specific carrier policies related to disruption assistance will apply. Documentation of all incurred expenses related to the delay, such as essential meals or overnight stays, should be diligently maintained for any subsequent compensation claims. Finally, for those with travel insurance, contacting the provider is paramount, as policy coverage for flight delays and cancellations will vary significantly. The scale of the current chaos across hubs like Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland and Melbourne necessitates patience and persistence when seeking alternative travel arrangements.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.