Christmas Day travel chaos as 23 flights cancelled at Sydney Airport

Almost two dozen flights in and out of Australia’s busiest airport have been cancelled on Christmas Day following wild storms.

At least 23 flights in and out of Australia’s busiest airport have been cancelled on Christmas Day.

By 7am on Monday, the arrivals and departures board on Sydney Airport’s website showed 23 flights had already been cancelled for the day.

It follows delays and cancellations on Christmas Eve caused by heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Air traffic control imposed a ground-stop on all flights into Sydney just after 5pm for about an hour.

News.com.au understands the disruptions on Monday are likely a knock-on effect, with Sydney Airport confirming there were no operational issues at the airport on Monday.

Cancelled Christmas Day flights arriving and departing Sydney include seven Virgin Australia flights, six Qantas flights, and three Jetstar flights, as well as some operated by small regional airlines.

Sydney Airport on Christmas Eve. Picture: X / Louis

Videos showed flooding on the tarmac. Picture: X / @Aknc35624923

About 20 Qantas flights had been delayed or diverted to Melbourne or Canberra on Sunday evening, where they were refuelled or passengers re-accommodated on another service that night.

The national carrier confirmed the impact to its network on Sunday had caused a small number of cancellations on Monday, but all passengers had been put on new flights within a few hours of their original departure time.

Virgin Australia has warned there may be further disruptions as thunderstorms are expected in Sydney on Monday afternoon and encouraged passengers to check the status of their flight ahead of time.

The airline said it was working extremely hard to get its passengers to their final destinations.

Qantas passengers on cancelled Christmas Day flights have been put on services within a few hours of their original departure time. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

The cancellations are spread across the morning and into the afternoon.

Flights which were scheduled to land in Sydney on Christmas Day but have been cancelled include services from Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Cairns.

Flights from Sydney to these cities, plus Perth and the Gold Coast, are also among the cancellations.

A Sydney Airport spokesman said on Sunday there had been “some local flooding which has impacted traffic around the domestic airport precinct.”

“Flights are currently arriving and departing, however some earlier flights were affected, with a number of arriving services delayed,” he said.

“Passengers are encouraged to leave plenty of time for their journey to the airport, and to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.”

⚠️⛈️ Severe thunderstorm warning update: risk areas now extended to the Northern Rivers and near Moree due to increased thunderstorm activity. In #Sydney, Little Bay recorded 56 mm of rain between 4 - 5 PM. Details and updates: https://t.co/jJWt2wlxelpic.twitter.com/NcM8eeirp0

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 24, 2023

One picture posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Christmas Eve showed a Rex Airlines bus driving through a flooded tarmac. It has been reshared hundreds of times.

“I didn’t know Sydney Airport’s buses were boats,” joked one person.

“Wow!! Xmas Eve of all days. Plenty of people won’t be home in time for Xmas with cancellations coming through,” wrote another.

“Lots of disappointed families, how sad,” agreed a third.

“This would explain why my plane couldn’t land and flight was cancelled. Hello 4am Christmas morning rescheduled flight,” added one traveller.

A video circulating on social media said to be taken at the airport showed a baggage car and trolley loaded up with suitcases being driven through significant water.

Other footage showed cars driving through flooded roads and carparks outside the terminal.

Sydney Airport is expecting to have its biggest holiday period in four years this year with 2.6 million passengers expected between December 14 and January 3.

There are 1.1 million passengers expected to pass through the T1 international terminal and a total of 1.5 million domestic passengers are forecast to pass through the T2 and T3 domestic terminals.