Passengers enjoy the clean air after days of chaos at Sydney Airport

Passengers hoping to reach their destinations more or less on time breathed a sigh of relief after two days of chaos that paralyzed Australia’s busiest airport.

Strong winds and a shortage of personnel forced the cancellation of dozens of flights out of Sydney on Friday and Saturday, limiting pilots to a single runway for safety reasons.

The ripple effect resulted in massive crowds spilling out of the terminal as the New South Wales school holidays began.

On Sunday morning, flight monitors showed that most departures from Sydney Airport’s domestic and international terminals were departing on time.

However, as cancellations and delays still occur, passengers are advised to check with the airline. Arrival time is almost as scheduled.

Traffic controller Airservices Australia said it continued to closely monitor weather conditions to ensure safety.

The strong winds that disrupted travel across the country for two days eased, with New South Wales’ only strong wind warning issued for the Eden coastline south of Sydney on Sunday.

troubling thousands of people

Airport chaos has left thousands scrambling to find new flights, with 18 flights out of Sydney canceled on Saturday due to gusts of up to 45km/h and staffing problems, with dozens more scheduled. Late.

More than 100 flights were canceled on Friday, and chaos spread to airports across the country.

Staffing issues at Queensland’s airports continue to lead to slow processing times for flights to the Sunshine State and the situation shows no signs of improving.

Travelers are advised to act in plenty of time.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded gusts of up to 30km/h at 5:30pm on Saturday, following a slight weakening from a 44km/h gust recorded at 1pm at Sydney Airport.

Southwest winds averaging 15-20 km/h are in line with the airport forecast for Saturday and are expected to continue on Sunday, but will weaken throughout the day and into the afternoon.

A Virgin Australia spokeswoman said further delays are expected due to the continued impact of the disruptions across the industry.

Graham Turner, managing director of Flight Center Australia, told Nines Today’s show that staff shortages will likely cause delays and cancellations for the next six months.

“It’s not just air traffic controllers. Airlines are short of pilots,” he said.

-AAP