Virgin, Qantas flights to be suspended to, from Brisbane Airport as Tropical Cyclone Alfred looms

More than 150 flights into Brisbane were cancelled in one morning as millions of Aussies brace for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to hit.

Flights in and out of four major airports will be impacted from Thursday as millions of Aussies brace for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Hundreds of flights to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour and Ballina will be axed from mid-afternoon on Thursday.

Major airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas say they are closely monitoring the cyclone and are contacting customers directly with any changes to their flights.

Flights have been put on halt by the major airlines. This image was taken from Nigel Love Bridge, Mascot on a sunny afternoon on 3 December 2023.

More than 150 domestic flights into Brisbane on Thursday have already been cancelled, with both Qantas and Virgin confirming flights will be suspended from mid-afternoon.

A statement from Qantas said flights out of the Gold Coast would remain suspended until at least 1pm on Friday, and Jetstar until at least 3pm on Friday.

Virgin said on Wednesday that they would run on a limited schedule to and from Brisbane Airport before 4pm on Thursday.

Flights are suspended from Gold Coast and Ballina Airports until Friday.

“Safety is always our top priority, and our meteorologists continue to closely monitor the weather system,” the Virgin statement read.

“We are working with all stakeholders including airports, local councils, and authorities as the situation evolves.”

A Qantas spokesman said they wanted to ensure people and aircraft were safe.

“While the cyclone is likely to make landfall from Friday, there will be cancellations (on Thursday) in Brisbane as we work to get people in and out of Brisbane safely while also making sure we are best prepared prior to the cyclone making landfall,” they said.

Qantas flights to and from the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay were to continue as scheduled as of Thursday morning.

Those looking to travel in and out of Brisbane will be contacted by their airline. Photo – iStock

The flight cancellations come at the same time as when local residents are being told they only have a few hours to leave if they want to get out of the cyclone impacted areas.

Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall potentially as early as late Thursday. However, it is now forecast to cross land bestween Coolangatta and Maroochydore – with Brisbane right in the middle of that zone – later on Friday.

Currently at category 2, early on Thursday it was 365km east of Brisbane and 340km northeast of the Gold Coast.

Originally published as Virgin, Qantas flights to be suspended to, from Brisbane Airport as Tropical Cyclone Alfred looms