Fog and holiday crowds cause chaos at Sydney Airport
Virgin Australia passengers have had a morning to forget after low-lying fog and holiday crowds caused major delays with travellers to spill out onto the footpath outside Sydney Airport.
NSW
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Thousands of frustrated travellers have spilled out of Sydney Airport and onto the footpath after low-lying fog and bumper crowds delayed flights this morning.
Passengers filled the domestic terminal of Sydney Airport just after 7am, as Sydneysiders attempted to embark on summer holidays.
But a combination of fog and major crowds meant that angry passengers were left crammed in the terminal after multiple flights were either delayed or cancelled.
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Some passengers were forced to line up along the footpath outside after the terminal reached capacity.
January 2 is notorious for being one of the busiest days at Sydney Airport, with tens of thousands of people jetting off after New Year celebrations.
Flights to Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast were either delayed or cancelled, leaving passengers stranded in Sydney.
One traveller reported that Sydney Airport staff were being harshly criticised by fed-up flyers.
“There was just a PA at Sydney Airport along the lines of ‘please do not berate our staff while we work through this difficult time,” they wrote online.
Another passenger said that some stressed passengers were even smoking in the queues outside the terminal.
“When people are queuing on the footpath at Sydney Airport please don’t allow smoking,” they wrote.
Some travellers reportedly queued for more than 90 minutes as crowd numbers reached capacity. Photos posted online show one exhausted passenger lying on the floor at a Virgin Australia boarding gate.
A Sydney Airport spokesman said that some delays were caused by low-lying fog early this morning.
“There were a number of delays this morning lasting around 30 minutes due to fog,” he said.
Crowds are understood to be thinning as passengers are gradually placed on substitute flights.
The fog has stretched across the eastern suburbs and enveloped beaches as Sydneysiders attempt to escape the heat.
Residents at Bondi Beach have taken to social media to share photos of the fog which show the ocean barely distinguishable beyond the sand.
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