Over 50 Flight Cancellations across Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide as Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and more Disrupts Travel, New Update

Published on December 1, 2025

Travel chaos currently strikes the aviation network across major Australian cities. Today’s figures confirm significant flight disruptions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Passengers face widespread issues. Specifically, airlines recorded 59 total flight cancellations and 962 total delays. Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar services bore the brunt of this operational turbulence. Sydney registered the highest number of delays, while Melbourne saw the most cancellations. Furthermore, all five capital city airports experienced substantial scheduling difficulties. This severe disruption highlights the strain on air travel across Australia. Consequently, thousands of travelers must now scramble to reorganize their itineraries. We will explore the specific impact on each airline and airport.

Major Airports Affected

The highest volumes of disruption were registered at the major east coast hubs, with both cancellations and delays being substantially concentrated in the largest cities.

Sydney Airport reported the greatest number of delays, with a total of 322 flights affected by extended wait times, alongside 18 cancellations. At Melbourne Tullamarine, 21 total cancellations were logged, representing the highest number of grounded flights reported at any single airport, coupled with 294 total delays.

Further south, Brisbane recorded 12 cancellations and 206 delays. While the volume of disruptions was lower on the west and south coasts, the impact remained discernible. Perth Airport reported a total of 4 cancellations and 67 delays. Similarly, 4 cancellations and 73 delays were registered at Adelaide Airport. Collectively, these five Australian air terminals were confirmed as the primary points of travel friction for the day, with delays at Sydney and Melbourne accounting for a majority of the overall affected flights.

Impacted Airlines

Multiple carriers were identified as experiencing operational difficulties, with several major Australian and international airlines appearing on the list of disruptions. The largest portion of affected services was attributed to Qantas and its subsidiary, QantasLink, as well as Virgin Australia and Jetstar.

Qantas flights were impacted across three of the five major airports, registering a total of 8 cancellations and 98 delays in Sydney, 7 cancellations and 65 delays in Melbourne Tullamarine and 3 cancellations and 50 delays in Brisbane. Its regional arm, QantasLink, also contributed to the figures with 5 cancellations and 36 delays in Melbourne and 3 cancellations and 49 delays in Brisbane.

Virgin Australia services were reported as disrupted at all five locations. The airline was recorded with 6 cancellations and 75 delays in Melbourne Tullamarine, 6 cancellations and 67 delays in Sydney, 4 cancellations and 18 delays at Perth Int’l, 2 cancellations and 43 delays in Brisbane and 2 cancellations and 23 delays in Adelaide Int’l.

Jetstar, another low-cost carrier, registered 3 cancellations and 71 delays in Melbourne Tullamarine, 3 cancellations and 55 delays in Sydney and 1 cancellation and 10 delays in Adelaide. Furthermore, two international carriers were included in the disruption report: Air New Zealand, which was reported with 2 cancellations and 8 delays in Brisbane and 1 cancellation and 1 delay in Adelaide and Garuda Indonesia, which registered 1 cancellation and 2 delays in Sydney. Alliance Airlines was also noted with 2 cancellations and 18 delays in Brisbane.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

Given that the reported disruptions were registered at five major capital city airports across Australia, a discernible impact on local tourism and business travel within the affected regions is considered probable. The cumulative 59 cancellations and 962 delays suggest that thousands of passengers were prevented from reaching their intended destinations or were significantly delayed in their travel plans into or out of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

The concentration of major service anomalies at primary travel gateways indicates that connectivity for travelers was severely compromised. Tourist arrivals, business meetings and local service sectors that rely on the timely flow of air traffic—such as transport, hospitality and event attendance—are likely to have been negatively influenced by the scope of the aviation challenges reported today. The sheer volume of delayed flights means a substantial number of scheduled connections were missed or postponed, directly correlating to reduced economic activity within the affected cities as passengers found their travel timelines adjusted without notice.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose services were subject to one of the 59 cancellations or 962 total delays reported across Australia are advised to examine the specifics of their booking. It has been confirmed that Qantas, Virgin Australia, QantasLink, Jetstar, Garuda Indonesia, Alliance Airlines and Air New Zealand flights were all disrupted. Given the widespread nature of the operational issues reported in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, the status of all current and connecting flights should be monitored. Re-accommodation and refund options are typically made available by the operating carriers when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed. Information regarding these options must be sought directly from the airline with which the ticket was purchased. The full scale of the travel disruption reported today necessitates an immediate review of personal travel arrangements by all impacted individuals.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.