Christmas Day travel chaos as 23 flights cancelled at Sydney Airport

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. 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.<br/>