Airport chaos eases along with high winds but Sydney facing some ongoing cancellations

Flights departing Australia’s busiest airport are mostly back on schedule after two chaotic days of cancellations and delays caused by poor weather and a lack of staff, although Qantas still reported at least 20 cancellations on Sunday. Strong winds forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights out of Sydney airport on Friday and Saturday with pilots limited to a single runway due to high winds. The knock-on effect led to huge crowds spilling out of the terminal as the New South Wales school holidays began. On Sunday, flight monitors showed most departures from domestic and international terminals at Sydney airport were leaving on time. But there were still some cancellations and delays, mostly affecting Qantas and Jetstar flights. The delays were not due to ongoing weather issues but the earlier disruptions and subsequent crew availability. Qantas had at least 20 cancellations on Sunday, the airline said. Jetstar had “a number” of cancellations. Sydney airport indicated it was smooth sailing on the ground, with the average time for passengers to get through domestic airport security between three and five minutes. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup<br/>Traffic controller Airservices Australia said it continued to closely monitor weather conditions to ensure safety. The strong winds that caused nationwide travel disruptions have abated, with the only wind warning in NSW on Sunday for the Eden coastline, south of Sydney. The airport chaos caused thousands to scramble to find new flights, with 18 departures out of Sydney cancelled and dozens more delayed on Saturday due to wind gusts of up to 45km/h. There were also some staffing issues. More than 100 flights were cancelled on Friday and the disruption spread to airports across the country.<br/>