As thousands of passengers return from school holidays, Australian airlines prepare for a busy weekend at domestic airports.
According to Qantas and Jetstar, three hundred fifty thousand passengers are expected to board flights across Australia over the next few days.
All domestic airlines had aircraft delays and cancellations last week due to extreme weather in NSW and an increase in cases of Covid and the flu among operating personnel.
85% of Qantas’ domestic flights left within an hour of the scheduled time.
The airlines have issued a warning that delays would persist throughout the busy weekend as crew sickness continues to impact operations.
This week, the aircraft engineers union made charges that flight cancellations were due to a lack of employees, bad management, and the outsourcing of ground staff. Qantas reacted to these assertions.
The spokesperson stated that “this is not only a Qantas issue.”
In Australia and around the world, this is having an impact on other airlines, airports, and air traffic control.
The number of passengers passing through London’s Heathrow Airport was capped this week, and airlines were advised to stop selling seats throughout the summer in Europe.