Airlines’ never-ending Covid-19 nightmare as sickness hits crews
Staff sickness causes dozens of flights to be cancelled out of Sydney and Melbourne, mostly on routes between those cities.
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The Covid pandemic is proving to be a never-ending nightmare for airlines with more than 40 domestic flights scrapped out of Sydney and Melbourne Airports on Monday morning due to staff sickness.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia were all forced to axe services, mostly on busy Sydney-Melbourne routes, due to staff shortages attributed to the current Covid outbreak.
A Melbourne Airport spokesman said 20 departures were axed in total, the majority of which were Sydney-bound.
About the same number of arriving flights were cancelled, mostly from Sydney with a handful of others from Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Out of Sydney, 21 flights were cancelled, including ten by Virgin Australia, eight by Qantas, two Jetstar and one Rex regional flight.
A Virgin Australia spokeswoman apologised to any guests impacted by delayed or cancelled services after “proactive changes” were made to the airline’s schedule due to sickness.
“We continue to work hard to ensure all guests reach their destination,” she said.
The problem of sickness ravaging already depleted airline and airport workforces was not confined to Australia with Europe’s civil aviation regulator EASA warning the issue could become a safety risk.
An EASA safety information bulletin shared by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority said understaffing at airports causing prolonged flight delays and cancellations could in turn lead to “increased levels of crew fatigue”.
The regulator recommended airlines consider staff shortages at various airports when planning monthly crew rosters, and urged them to limit extensions of flight duty periods.
Since April, on time performance and cancellations by airlines have been the worst on record due to a combination of weather and Covid factors, including illness and difficulty rebuilding aviation workforces after thousands of lay-offs over the past two years.
The issues have prompted both the Qantas Group and Virgin Australia to reduce the number of scheduled flights in an effort to ease pressure on staff.
As airlines faced yet another series of headaches, Australia’s newest carrier, Bonza welcomed its first aircraft into the country at Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 will be the first of its kind to be based down under, after flying from Seattle via Hawaii and Fiji.
Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan said the budget airline was now “one important step closer to connecting more Australians with convenient low cost travel options to more destinations”.
“This is an exciting time for Australian aviation and most importantly, the Aussie travelling public who will now enjoy more choice,” he said.
The aircraft interiors will be completed on Australian shores, with the Max 8 to be used as a “spare” for the airline flying to an initial 17 destinations on 27 routes.
They included the Sunshine Coast to Mildura, Tamworth and Newcastle, Melbourne to Port Macquarie and Cairns to Mackay and Rockhampton.
Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Andrew Brodie said they were “very proud” to be the home base for Bonza, which has announced its IATA code as “AB” in a nod to Mr Brodie and his team.
Mr Brodie said the partnership would benefit the region and community, creating more local jobs and spearheading tourism and business growth.
“We proudly sit at the heart of one of the most naturally engaging places in the world and our new brand is about celebrating this,” he said.
“Our airport embraces its role as an economic enabler, and we relish our place at the heart of a thriving region.”
Tickets for Bonza will only be available through the Bonza app, with an expected cost of $50 for each hour in the air, plus 8kg of carry on baggage.
The airline aimed to be operational by late September, depending on regulatory approval and recruitment.
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