Darwin International Airport reopened at 12 p.m. local time on Sunday, 23 November 2025—18 hours after Tropical Cyclone Fina’s eye wall skirted the city with wind-gusts of up to 205 km/h. Airport operator NT Airports said engineers completed an expedited runway inspection at first light and cleared debris from taxiways, allowing the first medevac and military flights to land before mid-morning. Commercial services resumed shortly after midday, with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia dispatching recovery flights from Perth, Brisbane and Cairns.
The Bureau of Meteorology classified Fina as a category-3 system when it crossed the Tiwi Islands late Saturday, making it the most powerful cyclone to threaten the Top End since Tracy in 1974. Although no fatalities were reported, almost 19,000 customers lost power and dozens of homes suffered roof damage. SecureNT kept a “yellow – advice” alert for Darwin into Sunday evening, urging residents to avoid non-essential travel while emergency crews cleared fallen powerlines and large trees from arterial roads.
![Darwin Airport Reopens After Cyclone Fina; Airlines Restore Northern Territory Links]()
Qantas reinstated its Saturday timetable by waiving change fees and offering fee-free re-booking within seven days for passengers ticketed to travel between 21 and 23 November. The airline also extended ticket validity for three months for travellers who prefer to defer their journeys, a policy mirrored by Virgin Australia. Business-travel managers welcomed the flexibility, noting that Darwin is a vital crew-change hub for offshore gas platforms and defence deployments.
For global mobility managers, the rapid restoration of flights underscores the resilience of Australia’s northern logistics network but highlights the importance of cyclone-season contingency planning. Companies with fly-in-fly-out operations have been reminded to maintain updated staff manifests and to build 48-hour buffers into roster rotations during the November-to-April cyclone window. Inbound assignees are also encouraged to register with the Northern Territory’s emergency SMS alert system and to verify that their travel insurance covers weather-related delays.
While the immediate crisis has eased, insurers warn that claims for business-interruption and relocation costs could rise in coming weeks as property assessments continue. Mobility teams should monitor SecureNT advisories and liaise with relocation suppliers on temporary housing availability, as some serviced-apartment inventory has been taken offline for repairs.
The Bureau of Meteorology classified Fina as a category-3 system when it crossed the Tiwi Islands late Saturday, making it the most powerful cyclone to threaten the Top End since Tracy in 1974. Although no fatalities were reported, almost 19,000 customers lost power and dozens of homes suffered roof damage. SecureNT kept a “yellow – advice” alert for Darwin into Sunday evening, urging residents to avoid non-essential travel while emergency crews cleared fallen powerlines and large trees from arterial roads.
Qantas reinstated its Saturday timetable by waiving change fees and offering fee-free re-booking within seven days for passengers ticketed to travel between 21 and 23 November. The airline also extended ticket validity for three months for travellers who prefer to defer their journeys, a policy mirrored by Virgin Australia. Business-travel managers welcomed the flexibility, noting that Darwin is a vital crew-change hub for offshore gas platforms and defence deployments.
For global mobility managers, the rapid restoration of flights underscores the resilience of Australia’s northern logistics network but highlights the importance of cyclone-season contingency planning. Companies with fly-in-fly-out operations have been reminded to maintain updated staff manifests and to build 48-hour buffers into roster rotations during the November-to-April cyclone window. Inbound assignees are also encouraged to register with the Northern Territory’s emergency SMS alert system and to verify that their travel insurance covers weather-related delays.
While the immediate crisis has eased, insurers warn that claims for business-interruption and relocation costs could rise in coming weeks as property assessments continue. Mobility teams should monitor SecureNT advisories and liaise with relocation suppliers on temporary housing availability, as some serviced-apartment inventory has been taken offline for repairs.
