Wild weather lashing the east coast of Australia has led to chaos at Sydney Airport, causing significant delays and flight cancellations.
The New South Wales State (NSW) Emergency Service is urging residents in Sydney, Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay, and Goulburn to stay indoors amid the damaging winds and heavy to intense rainfall.
Numerous flights have been cancelled to and from Sydney Airport, while others have been rescheduled.
“We encourage passengers to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.”
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued severe weather warnings for metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW.
Airlines are anticipating the possibility of additional cancellations today due to single runway operations at Sydney Airport from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson told the Epoch Times that forecasted adverse weather in Sydney has impacted several of its services.
“We have had to make a number of changes to our schedule to reduce the impacts across our network,” Virgin said.
“We have proactively communicated with impacted guests and we encourage anyone flying today to monitor their flight information closely.”
Qantas confirmed that while some flights had been cancelled on April 5 due to adverse weather in Sydney, all customers have been re-accommodated on alternative flights.
“We thank customers in advance for their patience,” a spokeswoman said.
The weather bureau forecasts a deepening trough over eastern NSW and along central parts of the coast on Friday and Saturday, under the influence of a slow-moving upper-level low over central NSW.
“Severe weather is expected to gradually shift south overnight, easing throughout Saturday as the trough moves east to the Tasman Sea.
“Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is forecast for the southern parts of the Hunter to the Sydney Metropolitan, Illawarra, and Central Tablelands districts today, then shifting south to the remaining districts overnight into Saturday morning while easing from the north.”
PMinor flooding, including at the ferry wharf in Parramatta, has been reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. The state emergency service has received more than 800 calls for help.
On X, Sydney Airport advised people to check the status of their flight amid the wet and windy weather.
“It’s a wet and windy one today! Delays and cancellations are possible. If you’re flying, keep an eye out for messages from your airline regarding the status of your flight,” Sydney Airport cautioned.
