Hundreds Of Passengers Abandoned Around Australia And New Zealand As Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, and QantasLink Suffer 45 Flight Cancellations And 873 Delays Across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch, And Wellington

Home » Latest Travel News » Hundreds Of Passengers Abandoned Around Australia And New Zealand As Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, and QantasLink Suffer 45 Flight Cancellations And 873 Delays Across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Christchurch, And Wellington

Published on
January 6, 2026

Hundreds of passengers abandoned around Australia and New Zealand as Melbourne (15 cancellations, 250 delays), Sydney (19 cancellations, 314 delays), Brisbane (8 cancellations, 163 delays), Auckland (2 cancellations, 98 delays), Christchurch (1 cancellation, 23 delays), and Wellington (25 delays) face 45 flight cancellations and 873 delays.
The most affected airlines by combined cancellations and delays included Jetstar (16 cancellations, 198 delays), Qantas (8 cancellations, 157 delays), Virgin Australia (4 cancellations, 187 delays), QantasLink (13 cancellations, 80 delays), and Air New Zealand (2 cancellations, 75 delays).
Other popular international carriers that were not among the most affected but still faced operational disruptions included Singapore Airlines, Emirates, United, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, and American Airlines, each recording multiple delays across the region. Sydney and Melbourne emerged as the most disrupted airports, accounting for more than half of all cancellations and delays recorded across Oceania.

Updated today: 918 total flight disruptions were recorded across Australia and New Zealand, including 45 cancellations and 873 delays.Sydney experienced the highest overall disruption with 19 cancellations and 314 delays.Melbourne followed closely, recording 15 cancellations and 250 delays.Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia, QantasLink, and Air New Zealand were the most affected airlines by volume.New Zealand airports recorded lower disruption levels overall, with Auckland leading locally at 98 delays and 2 cancellations.Most Affected AirportsSydney Airport

Sydney recorded the highest disruption levels, with 19 cancellations and 314 delays, driven largely by domestic airline delays involving Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia, and QantasLink.

Melbourne Airport

Melbourne followed with 15 cancellations and 250 delays, with Jetstar and Qantas accounting for a significant share of both cancellations and late departures.

Brisbane Airport

Brisbane reported 8 cancellations and 163 delays, with Virgin Australia and Jetstar responsible for the majority of delayed flights.

Auckland Airport

Auckland saw 2 cancellations and 98 delays, most of them linked to Air New Zealand operations, alongside smaller volumes from Qantas and Jetstar.

Christchurch Airport

Christchurch experienced 1 cancellation and 23 delays, reflecting comparatively stable operations with limited international disruption.

Airlines Most Affected by Flight Cancellations and DelaysJetstar

Jetstar was the most affected airline overall, recording 16 cancellations and 198 delays across multiple Australian and New Zealand airports.

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia followed closely with 4 cancellations and 187 delays, primarily impacting Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.

Qantas

Qantas reported 8 cancellations and 157 delays, with disruption spread across all major Australian hubs and Auckland.

QantasLink

QantasLink recorded 13 cancellations and 80 delays, largely affecting domestic regional routes in Australia.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand saw 2 cancellations and 75 delays, accounting for the bulk of New Zealand’s domestic and international disruption.

How Travellers Were Impacted at Major AirportsPassengers experienced longer-than-normal wait times due to rolling delays across peak travel windows.Missed connections became more likely, particularly at major hubs handling high domestic traffic.Rebooking and schedule adjustments were common as airlines worked to recover disrupted rotations.Travelers on international routes faced knock-on delays, even where cancellations were limited.Ground congestion increased at terminals handling multiple delayed departures simultaneously.Overview of Oceania Flight Cancellations

Across Oceania, flight disruptions were concentrated in Australia, with Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane repeatedly emerging as the most affected airports. Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Australia, QantasLink, Air New Zealand, and Regional Express Airlines were the most frequently impacted carriers by volume.
In New Zealand, disruption levels remained comparatively contained, with Auckland appearing most often in delay statistics, followed by Christchurch and Wellington, which recorded minimal cancellations. Overall, the data reflects heavier operational strain at high-traffic Australian hubs, while New Zealand airports experienced isolated and manageable disruption across the same period.

Image Source: AI

Source: Different airports and FlightAware