Published on : 05 Mar 2026
🔴 LIVE UPDATE — Thursday March 5, 2026 | 8 Airports | BOM Flash Flood Warning Active
Two crises are running simultaneously over Australia’s aviation network today — and together they are producing the worst Thursday disruption count of 2026.
From the sky: the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Sydney Metropolitan area and wider New South Wales at 5:03pm yesterday, warning of very dangerous thunderstorms with heavy, locally intense rainfall capable of producing life-threatening flash flooding across the South Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, and Metropolitan districts. By 5:51pm, a more detailed warning was issued specifically for Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Sydney, Wollondilly, Wingecarribee and Greater Wollongong — with storms tracking northeast toward Campbelltown and Penrith. Those storm bands are still generating disruption this morning.
From the outside: the Middle East aviation crisis — now in its sixth day — continues to ground or reroute every Emirates and Qatar Airways service through Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, leaving Australia’s international connectivity to the Gulf, the UK and Europe suspended, partially operational, or running through expensive alternative hubs with sharply elevated fares.
The combined result for Thursday March 5, 2026: 855 total disruptions across Australia and New Zealand — 801 delays and 54 cancellations — hitting every major airport from Adelaide to Wellington across two countries and eight cities.
| Airport | Cancellations | Delays | Total | Worst-Affected Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL) | 19 | 246 | 265 | Virgin Australia, Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates |
| Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) | 12 | 230 | 242 | Qantas, QantasLink, Virgin Australia, Emirates |
| Brisbane Airport (BNE) | 7 | 84 | 91 | Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Qatar Airways |
| Perth Airport (PER) | 8 | 51 | 59 | Emirates, Jetstar, Air New Zealand |
| Adelaide Airport (ADL) | 3 | 51 | 54 | Jetstar, Qantas, Emirates |
| Auckland Airport (AKL) | 4 | 73 | 77 | Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines |
| Christchurch Airport (CHC) | 1 | 41 | 42 | Air New Zealand |
| Wellington Airport (WLG) | — | 25 | 25 | Air New Zealand |
| AUSTRALIA + NZ TOTAL | 54 | 801 | 855 | — |
Airline breakdown:
| Airline | Cancellations | Delays |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas | 4 | 161 |
| Virgin Australia | 6 | 128 |
| Jetstar | 1 | 121 |
| Air New Zealand | 1 | 90 |
| QantasLink | 1 | 94 |
| Regional Express (REX) | — | 79 |
| Emirates | 11 | — |
| Qatar Airways | 14 | — |
The Bureau of Meteorology’s severe thunderstorm warning issued at 5:03pm Wednesday March 4 for very dangerous thunderstorms with heavy, locally intense rainfall across southern New South Wales remains the defining weather event shaping today’s disruptions at Sydney Airport.
The warning covered: South Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Metropolitan (Sydney), Illawarra, Central Tablelands, South West Slopes, Hunter, and Riverina districts. A second more detailed warning followed at 5:51pm specifically for the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Sydney, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee areas, with storms near Appin and Warragamba tracking northeast toward Campbelltown, Penrith and Helensburgh.
Rainfall totals of 50–100mm were forecast across southern New South Wales, with isolated intense falls capable of producing dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding — particularly about slow-moving storm lines. The Bureau advised: if trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000. The State Emergency Service (SES) emergency line is 132 500.
Aviation impact at Sydney Airport (SYD): Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport sits within the affected metropolitan zone. Severe thunderstorm cells tracking across the Sydney basin force aircraft into holding patterns and cause surface visibility restrictions that slow ground operations — pushing back every departure time in afternoon and evening banks. Aircraft scheduled to arrive at Sydney for onward domestic rotations are delayed, creating a cascading effect that persists hours after the storm cells clear. Today’s 230 delays and 12 cancellations at SYD are directly attributable to the combination of yesterday evening’s storm activity and the ongoing Middle East disruption affecting international services.
What passengers should check: Emergency alerts are available at bom.gov.au/weather-and-climate/warnings-and-alerts or by calling 1300 659 210. The Hazards Near Me NSW app provides real-time storm and flood alerts for passengers currently in New South Wales. Do not drive through flooded roads — 6cm of water can knock a person off their feet, 15cm can move a car.
Melbourne Tullamarine has recorded the highest disruption total of any airport in the region today, with 246 delays and 19 cancellations. This makes Melbourne the most severely disrupted Australian city in the March 5 dataset, and it continues a now-consistent pattern — Melbourne has led the national disruption count on multiple days this week.
The Melbourne disruption is being driven by a layered set of causes. The continuing Middle East crisis has grounded Emirates’ Melbourne–Dubai double-daily service — Emirates recorded 11 cancellations across multiple Australian airports today with no associated delays, meaning these are clean cancellations, not delayed operations. Qatar Airways recorded 14 cancellations across the dataset as well, primarily at Melbourne and Brisbane. The domestic disruption at Melbourne is concentrated in Virgin Australia (6 cancellations, 128 delays nationally) and Qantas (4 cancellations, 161 delays nationally), both operating dense east-coast schedules from Tullamarine.
Melbourne also handles the largest volume of international long-haul traffic of any Australian city by some metrics — its exposure to Middle East route disruption is therefore disproportionate compared to a city with fewer Gulf connections. Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Network Aviation also reported isolated disruptions at Tullamarine today.
For passengers at Melbourne today: Qantas and Virgin Australia are running significant delays across morning and afternoon banks. Emirates is not operating any commercial services at MEL, and Qatar Airways services to Doha remain suspended. If you have a connecting domestic service to Melbourne before catching a cancelled Gulf flight, contact your airline before travelling to the airport — your onward international leg may have been cancelled even while the domestic inbound is still scheduled.
Sydney Airport recorded the second-highest disruption total of the day at 230 delays and 12 cancellations, but Sydney is arguably the most complex disruption story — because it is the only major airport carrying both a severe weather impact (from last night’s storm system) and a full Middle East crisis impact simultaneously.
Sydney experiences 230 delays and 12 cancellations, making it one of the most cancellation-heavy hubs today. Delays were primarily linked to Qantas, QantasLink, Virgin Australia, and Regional Express Airlines. Emirates recorded cancellations across the dataset. Qantas and its subsidiary QantasLink — which together account for the largest share of Sydney departures — are running with average delays across their afternoon bank. Regional Express (REX), which serves regional NSW routes that are critical feeders for international connections, recorded 79 delays nationally, much of them concentrated at Sydney-connected regional ports.
The storm’s particular impact on SYD is most visible in trans-Tasman and domestic connecting services. Passengers who arrived at Sydney overnight or early morning for domestic connections to Canberra, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, or Ballina have been caught in rolling rebooking queues as the storm-delayed aircraft repositioning cascades through morning operations.
Brisbane recorded 7 cancellations and 84 delays today. Jetstar and Virgin Australia dominate the disruption picture at BNE, with Qatar Airways cancellations contributing the bulk of international disruption. Brisbane is particularly exposed to Qatar Airways’ continued suspension — Virgin Australia operates its Doha services via Qatar, and those services remain grounded. Passengers who rebooked from earlier cancellations to March 5 services at Brisbane are discovering those options are also unavailable.
Perth recorded 8 cancellations and 51 delays. Emirates’ complete suspension hits Perth particularly hard because Emirates operates a daily Perth–Dubai service that is one of the most used routes in the airport’s international schedule. Jetstar and Air New Zealand are the primary domestic contributors to today’s Perth delays. For passengers in Perth with urgent international travel needs, Qantas QF9/QF10 Perth–London nonstop remains the cleanest operational option bypassing the Gulf entirely — though seat availability continues to tighten as demand surges on the route.
Adelaide recorded 3 cancellations and 51 delays. As a smaller airport with primarily domestic and Singapore Airlines international traffic, Adelaide’s disruption today is largely a Jetstar and Qantas domestic story. Emirates cancellations at ADL continue to strand passengers who planned to reach the UK or Europe via Dubai. Singapore Airlines’ ADL–Singapore service remains fully operational and is the best alternative routing from Adelaide for passengers needing international connections.
New Zealand’s three main airports are carrying a moderate disruption load today, primarily driven by Air New Zealand’s domestic and trans-Tasman network.
Auckland recorded 4 cancellations and 73 delays — with Air New Zealand accounting for the majority of delayed flights, reflecting both domestic network pressure and the continued absence of Qatar Airways connectivity at AKL. Christchurch recorded 1 cancellation and 41 delays. Wellington reported 25 delays with no cancellations.
The New Zealand disruption picture is noticeably calmer than Australia’s today — the absence of a severe weather event comparable to the NSW storm system, combined with New Zealand’s lower direct exposure to Gulf carrier cancellations, means the trans-Tasman disruption is operating at a moderate rather than severe level. That said, Air New Zealand’s network functions as an integrated system with the Australian east coast, and any significant deterioration at Sydney or Melbourne produces knock-on effects at Auckland within 3–6 hours.
Today is Day 6 of the Middle East aviation crisis, and the picture for Australian passengers has not materially improved on the international carrier front.
Emirates remains suspended across all Australian airports. Emirates extended ALL scheduled flights suspended until 11:59pm March 7, effectively meaning Sunday March 8 is the earliest possible restart date. Emirates’ March 5 status at Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide: zero commercial services operating. Emirates recorded 11 cancellations across Australian airports in today’s dataset — clean cancellations with no delays, confirming these are schedule removals, not delayed operations.
Qatar Airways remains fully suspended with no confirmed restart date. Qatar Airways recorded 14 cancellations across the region — the highest cancellation figure among international carriers today. Qatar’s specific update is expected Friday March 6 at 9am Doha time. Until that update arrives, all Qatar-operated services from Australia (including Virgin Australia-codeshared Doha flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth) remain grounded.
Etihad: commercial restart targeted for March 6 from Abu Dhabi. Australian passengers on Etihad bookings should monitor etihad.com for specific flight-by-flight updates. The conflict’s continued escalation — including the Riyadh attack on March 3 — means Etihad restart timelines remain subject to revision.
For Australian passengers with urgent international travel, here is the verified operational status of non-Gulf alternatives as of March 5:
| Route | Carrier | Via | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYD/MEL/BNE/PER → London | Singapore Airlines | Singapore (SIN) | ✅ Fully operational | Fares 150–250% above normal |
| SYD/MEL/BNE/PER → London | Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong (HKG) | ✅ Fully operational | Good availability — book today |
| PER → London Heathrow | Qantas QF9 | Nonstop | ✅ Fully operational | Very limited — sells out quickly |
| SYD/MEL → London | Qantas | Via SIN or QF9 connection | ✅ Fully operational | Use qantas.com/manage |
| SYD/MEL/BNE/ADL → Europe | Japan Airlines/ANA | Tokyo (NRT/HND) | ✅ Fully operational | Longer routing, good value |
| All Australian cities → UK/Europe | Turkish Airlines | Istanbul (IST) | ⚠️ Partial — Saudi corridor disrupted | Verify routing before booking |
| ADL → Southeast Asia/Europe | Singapore Airlines | Singapore (SIN) | ✅ Fully operational | Best ADL option |
Fare warning: Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific economy fares from Sydney and Melbourne to London remain at 150–250% above normal seasonal pricing. Do not purchase replacement tickets at inflated prices until you have exhausted your airline’s free rerouting obligation under Article 8/Australian Consumer Law.
If your Emirates or Qatar Airways flight is cancelled: Under Australian Consumer Law and international air passenger regulations, you are entitled to: (1) a full cash refund to your original payment method, OR (2) free rebooking on the next available service to your destination. Emirates is offering free rebooking for travel through March 20. Qatar Airways is offering refunds and rebooking for travel through March 6. Do not accept a travel credit or voucher if you want cash — you are entitled to ask for a refund.
If your domestic Qantas, Virgin Australia or Jetstar flight is cancelled: Under ACCC guidance and the airlines’ own published policies: you are entitled to rebooking on the next available service to your destination, or a full refund if you choose not to travel. Meal vouchers are provided for delays over 2 hours that are within the airline’s control. For weather delays, meal vouchers are discretionary — but most airlines provide them as goodwill.
If your flight is delayed and you miss a connection (on a single itinerary): The airline that issued your ticket must rebook you to your final destination at no extra cost. If your connecting airline is a different carrier on a separate ticket, you must manage the missed connection independently.
Package holiday passengers: Under Australian Consumer Law, if your travel operator cannot provide the booked services (because a Gulf airline is suspended), you are entitled to a full refund. Contact your travel agent or tour operator — not the airline — in the first instance.
✅ Check your flight status before leaving home — at your airline’s app, not at a third-party tracker. Emirates: emirates.com/au. Qantas: qantas.com. Virgin Australia: virginaustralia.com. Jetstar: jetstar.com. Qatar: qatarairways.com.
✅ If you are in Sydney or NSW — check the BOM warning — bom.gov.au or the Hazards Near Me NSW app. The storm system from yesterday is still affecting visibility and ground operations at SYD. Delays at Sydney today are real and will persist into the afternoon.
✅ Allow extra time at Melbourne and Sydney — both airports are running 30–60 minutes behind schedule on multiple banks. Arrive 30–45 minutes earlier than your normal pre-departure time.
✅ If your Emirates or Qatar flight is cancelled and you booked through a travel agent — contact your agent, not the airline’s call centre. Call centres are experiencing multi-hour wait times. Online chat and the airline’s app are faster.
✅ If you need to reach the UK or Europe urgently — do not wait for Emirates to restart on March 8. Act today. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific availability from Sydney and Melbourne is tightening daily.
✅ Keep all receipts — meals, accommodation, transport to/from airport, any alternative transport you book. Under Australian Consumer Law and airline duty of care obligations, expenses incurred due to disruption within the airline’s control are reimbursable. Submit within 30 days via the airline’s online customer service portal.
Posted By : Vinay
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