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Flights are returning to normal in southeast Queensland and northern NSW following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Airports including Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast have all reopened to traffic, with Qantas Group and Virgin Australia both restarting flights to the region on Sunday after the danger from the storm passed. Alfred had made landfall as a tropical low on 8 March, causing severe flooding.
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“Brisbane Airport is open and airlines have resumed passenger services. There may be some operational impacts as a result of the weather and staffing shortages,” Brisbane Airport said in a statement.
Marion Charlton, chief operating officer for Queensland Airports Limited, said teams had inspected the aerodrome, apron, and airport precinct at Gold Coast Airport as soon as they could to ensure it was safe to reopen.
“With the region now entering the recovery phase, it is essential for us to reopen as quickly as possible, not only for passengers but also to provide critical access for emergency services and support agencies, including the Australian Defence Force,” Charlton said.
“There will likely be some disruptions to scheduled services, so we encourage passengers to continue to monitor the status of their flight via their airline before heading to the airport. For anyone driving to and from the airport, please be careful on the roads.”
Qantas and Jetstar resumed flights to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Ballina on Sunday, though held off returning to Hervey Bay due to the heavy floods.
“To help tens of thousands of customers get to their destinations, Qantas has repositioned aircraft into impacted ports and is operating a supplementary A330 between Sydney and Brisbane,” a Qantas Group spokesperson said.
“Among the passengers today are more than 60 Queensland SES volunteers, who are heading to Brisbane to help support the recovery efforts.
“Customers are being offered additional flexibility including travel credits and fee-free date changes to those who have booked flights to or from the impacted areas.”
Virgin also brought back Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Ballina flights on Sunday and advised guests flying to South-East Queensland and northern NSW to keep an eye on its website for further return of services.
“Our team of meteorologists is continuing to closely monitor conditions for any further impacts from the system, including wind and rainfall,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
“We encourage all guests flying to or from Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales this week to regularly check their flight status on the Virgin Australia website for updates.
“We understand this remains a challenging time for many people, including for some of our guests booked to travel on Virgin Australia services, which is why we are making it easier for people impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred to change their travel plans.”
