Australian travellers endured a torrid 24-hour period from the evening of 16 December through 17 December, with data collated by VisaHQ and aviation tracker OAG showing 578 delayed departures and 24 outright cancellations across the country’s three busiest airports. Melbourne-Tullamarine recorded the worst punctuality (215 delays, six cancellations) followed by Sydney Kingsford Smith (190/7) and Brisbane (173/11).
Qantas Group carriers—Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink—accounted for more than half of all disruptions, partly linked to an Airbus A320neo software bulletin that has sidelined several jets. Virgin Australia also struggled with crew shortages, while thunderstorms on the east coast compounded flows into already saturated slot banks.
The ripple effects are substantial for businesses moving staff domestically before the Christmas shutdown. Mobility teams report re-booking fees of up to AUD 400 per ticket and missed international connections for onward travel to Asia-Pacific project sites. Some corporates have shifted urgent travel onto overnight train services or used videoconferencing for time-sensitive meetings.
![Holiday chaos: 578 delays and 24 cancellations hit Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane within 24 hours]()
For travel managers scrambling to rearrange itineraries, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a fast, fully digital way to verify or secure any new visas and travel authorisations triggered by unexpected re-routing. The service’s real-time status updates and dedicated account support help ensure that last-minute changes don’t turn into paperwork snags, allowing employees to stay mobile even when flights don’t.
While most delays remained under one hour, Sydney’s curfew amplified knock-on cancellations: once the 11 pm cap looms, airlines often scrap late-running flights rather than risk fines. The situation underscores why the industry is lobbying for greater slot flexibility—a debate that will intensify when the Government reviews the Sydney Airport Curfew Act in early 2026.
Travellers over the next week should build contingency time into itineraries and consider travel-insurance clauses that cover missed onward connections. Mobility managers may wish to pre-approve same-day rental-car alternatives on city-pair sectors under 800 km.
Qantas Group carriers—Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink—accounted for more than half of all disruptions, partly linked to an Airbus A320neo software bulletin that has sidelined several jets. Virgin Australia also struggled with crew shortages, while thunderstorms on the east coast compounded flows into already saturated slot banks.
The ripple effects are substantial for businesses moving staff domestically before the Christmas shutdown. Mobility teams report re-booking fees of up to AUD 400 per ticket and missed international connections for onward travel to Asia-Pacific project sites. Some corporates have shifted urgent travel onto overnight train services or used videoconferencing for time-sensitive meetings.
For travel managers scrambling to rearrange itineraries, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a fast, fully digital way to verify or secure any new visas and travel authorisations triggered by unexpected re-routing. The service’s real-time status updates and dedicated account support help ensure that last-minute changes don’t turn into paperwork snags, allowing employees to stay mobile even when flights don’t.
While most delays remained under one hour, Sydney’s curfew amplified knock-on cancellations: once the 11 pm cap looms, airlines often scrap late-running flights rather than risk fines. The situation underscores why the industry is lobbying for greater slot flexibility—a debate that will intensify when the Government reviews the Sydney Airport Curfew Act in early 2026.
Travellers over the next week should build contingency time into itineraries and consider travel-insurance clauses that cover missed onward connections. Mobility managers may wish to pre-approve same-day rental-car alternatives on city-pair sectors under 800 km.
