Omicron: More Than 1,600 Christmas Eve Flights Cancelled Globally

New Delhi: The Omicron threat paid put to Christmas plans all over the world as thousands of would-be travellers received last-minute cancellations of their Christmas Eve flight.

According to the Flight Aware website, the number of cancellations globally as of Friday morning added up to more than 1,600.

United Airlines cancelled at least 150 flights scheduled to leave dozens of airports on Friday along with 44 more that were supposed to take off Saturday, according to Flight Aware. Other airlines, including Delta, JetBlue and Allegiant, did the same, New York Times reported.

In Australia, which has recorded more than 500 omicron cases, dozens of flights were also cancelled at airports in the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne as coronavirus cases in the country surged to their highest since the start of the pandemic.

Many airline staff members are unable to work after being identified as close contacts of positive coronavirus cases, airline officials said. Under government requirements, they are required to isolate for seven days.

Eighty flights arriving at and departing on Dec. 24 from Sydney, the country’s most populous city, had been cancelled, a spokesperson for the airport said, out of a total of 500, the report added.