Gold Coast Airport: Impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred on flights in and out of Coolangatta terminal
More than 120 flights in and out of the Gold Coast have been cancelled as Tropical Cyclone Alfred throws the travel plans of thousands of people into disarray. LATEST INFORMATION
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More than 120 flights in and out of the Gold Coast have been cancelled as Tropical Cyclone Alfred throws the travel plans of thousands of people into disarray.
Flights will cease at the Coolangatta terminal from 4pm on Wednesday when the last plane will depart for Sydney as the wet weather intensities, with no services to occur on Thursday.
Gold Coast Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton said the rapidly changing situation meant it was not possible to say when flights would resume.
“To ensure the safety of our team, our customers and stakeholders, and in close consultation with our airline stakeholders, we will close from 4pm as a result of Cyclone Alfred,” she said.
“By close-of-business Thursday, we will have cancelled more than 128 services.
“As soon as we can, we will reopen the airport safely.
“We will take our advice on the weather from the Disaster Management Unit and we will have to do our safety inspections so the airport’s facilities - runways, taxiways are safe but we have a team on standby team ready to do that.”
Ms Charlton said the airport would liaise closely with airlines, including Virgin and Jetstar about the resumption of services in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“Our advice to our customers is to check with the airlines, which is the best place to get information in respect to their situations,” she said.
“Weather is unpredictable but we control the controllables, so we have plans around this and will work through those and once we get the OK, we will do the safety checks and open safely.”
By 2pm, the airport’s check-in hall was almost deserted as the last remaining passengers able to fly moved into the departure lounges.
It is the most significant impact to the airport since the Covid-19 pandemic, five years ago, which saw domestic and international borders close, cutting 90 per cent of the terminal’s traffic.
As well as flights stopping at 4pm Wednesday, the terminal building will also close and become off-limits to the public.
Airport bosses met on Wednesday morning to discuss the escalating situation and the action they would take.
“Gold Coast Airport is closing from 4pm (QLD time) today Wednesday 5 March in response to Tropical Cyclone Alfred,” a statement from the airport read.
“The safety of our team, customers and airport is our number one priority.
“Passengers affected will be contacted by their airline regarding their options to reschedule travel.
“The terminal building will be closed and there will be no public access during this time.”
The airport’s previous statement had said it was “operating as usual”.
“Our team is continuing to monitor Tropical Cyclone Alfred and preparing as necessary,” it read.
“Passengers with plans to travel through Gold Coast Airport later this week should continue to monitor the status of their flight.
“Airlines have issued information for customers booked on services in or out of Gold Coast Airport from (Tuesday).”
Among those whose flights were cancelled were tourists Michael Murray, 21 and Charlotte Lees, 19 who were due to fly to Melbourne late on Wednesday afternoon in the first leg of their flight back to the United Kingdom.
The pair, who have been holidaying on the Gold Coast as part of a two-month trip only discovered their flights had been cancelled after arriving at the airport.
Mr Murray, a supervisor at DHL and from Coventry, said the pair would ride out the storm at a holiday rental at Tweed Heads while awaiting their flights to be rescheduled.
“We were saying we were happy this was happening as we were leaving (the Gold Coast rather than while they were holidaying here) and getting away with it but we didn’t get out in time,” he said.
“We’re going to be staying in Tweed Heads so hopefully it doesn’t blow up there and hopefully it all works out.
“They have rescheduled our flight for Friday right now but I don’t know how they know (that flights will resume).
Mr Murray said he had already had to contact his employers to tell them he would not be back in the UK in time to resume work.
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