Hundreds Of Passengers Grounded Around Australia And New Zealand As Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, And Others Cancel 39 And Delay 748 Flights, Disrupting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch And Wellington

Home » Latest Travel News » Hundreds Of Passengers Grounded Around Australia And New Zealand As Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, And Others Cancel 39 And Delay 748 Flights, Disrupting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch And Wellington

Published on
January 12, 2026

Hundreds of passengers grounded around Australia and New Zealand today as Jetstar (141 delays, 3 cancellations), Air New Zealand (220 delays, 14 cancellations), Qantas Group including Qantas and QantasLink (138 delays, 5 cancellations), Virgin Australia (66 delays, 6 cancellations) and other airlines including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Fiji Airways, United, and Cathay Pacific faced 748 delays and 39 flight cancellations.
On the airport side, the worst-affected cities were Melbourne Tullamarine (170 delays, 4 cancellations), Sydney (168 delays, 5 cancellations), Auckland (161 delays, 9 cancellations), Brisbane (121 delays, 14 cancellations), Christchurch (83 delays, 3 cancellations), and Wellington (45 delays, 4 cancellations). According to latest flight data, disruptions were delay-heavy, with cancellations remaining comparatively limited, and US-linked flights accounted for just 12 delayed services overall, indicating minimal trans-Pacific impact.

Updated today: 748 delays and 39 cancellations were recorded across six major Australasian airports.Melbourne and Sydney emerged as the most delay-affected hubs by volume.Brisbane saw the highest number of cancellations among Australian airports.Air New Zealand led cancellations with 14 flights cancelled across multiple airports.Jetstar and Virgin Australia recorded notable cancellations at major Australian hubs.Most Affected AirportsMelbourne Tullamarine

Melbourne recorded 170 delays and 4 cancellations, with Jetstar, Qantas, QantasLink, and Virgin Australia accounting for the majority of delayed services, making it the most disrupted airport by total delays.

Sydney

Sydney followed closely with 168 delays and 5 cancellations, driven largely by Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia operations, while several international airlines experienced high delay ratios on limited schedules.

Auckland

Auckland logged 161 delays and 9 cancellations, with Air New Zealand responsible for most disruptions, alongside noticeable delays across regional and Asia-Pacific carriers.

Brisbane

Brisbane reported 121 delays and 14 cancellations, the highest cancellation count among all airports, affecting a broad mix of domestic airlines including Jetstar, Virgin Australia, and QantasLink.

Christchurch

Christchurch saw 83 delays and 3 cancellations, with Air New Zealand contributing the majority of delayed flights, while international impact remained minimal.

Airlines Most Affected by Flight Cancellations and DelaysAir New Zealand

The airline recorded 220 delays and 14 cancellations across multiple airports, making it the most impacted carrier overall.

Jetstar

Jetstar experienced 141 delays and 3 cancellations, with significant disruption concentrated in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Qantas Group (Qantas and QantasLink)

Combined operations accounted for 138 delays and 5 cancellations, particularly affecting Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia logged 66 delays and 6 cancellations, with disruption spread across major Australian hubs.

Fiji Airways

Despite a smaller schedule, Fiji Airways faced 27 delays across multiple airports, reflecting high delay percentages on limited services.

How Passengers Were Impacted At Major AirportsLonger-than-expected waiting times at departure gates due to rolling delaysMissed connections, particularly on domestic-to-international itinerariesIncreased demand for rebooking and standby optionsLimited availability of same-day alternative flights during peak periodsDelays to baggage handling and aircraft turnaround timesOverview of Flight Cancellations

Flight cancellations remained relatively contained compared to delays, totaling 39 across all airports. Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, and Qantas accounted for the majority of cancellations, with Brisbane and Auckland experiencing the highest counts. Melbourne Tullamarine and Sydney recorded fewer cancellations despite high delay volumes, highlighting operational strain without widespread flight withdrawals. Overall, while cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Brisbane faced sustained disruption, the primary challenge for passengers remained persistent delays rather than mass cancellations.

Image Source: AI

Source: Different airports and FlightAware