Several Australian airports on the southeastern coast have closed their terminals with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights as a Category 2 cyclone continues to barrel towards the country.
The “extremely rare” Tropical Cyclone Alfred is causing severe travel disruption in the country as it draws near to the southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales coasts.
The area covered by the Cyclone Alfred warning zone stretches approximately 450-500 km along the east coast of Australia, from Double Island Point in Queensland to Ballina in New South Wales.
Alfred is forecast to make landfall on Friday evening (7 March) between Maroochydore and Coolangatta as a Category 2 cyclone.
Brisbane Airport has announced that it is suspending operations, with terminals open only for defence operations.
Qantas Airways confirmed that it will cease all flights from the aviation hub until at least noon on Saturday, with no domestic flights departing until Sunday.
Brisbane City Council has also that announced all bus services, trains and ferries will be suspended until further notice as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches.
All commercial flights from Byron Bay’s Ballina airport have been cancelled, through to and including Sunday 9 March due to high winds.
Gold Coast Airport, 55 miles up the coast from Ballina, also closed its terminal at 4pm on Wednesday until further notice in response to the cyclone.
“The safety of our team, customers and airport is our number one priority,” the airport said.
Damaging winds of 120kmph are already hitting Coolangatta and Ballina while gusts up to 155kmph could hit coastal areas as far south as Cape Byron from Thursday afternoon.
Ballina Bay airport runs up to 45 direct flights per week to Sydney and Melbourne, with arrivals and departures operated by Australian airlines such as Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia.
Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Qantas said they are suspending flights to and from Ballina Byron Bay until at least Sunday morning local time.
Virgin Australia told its passengers that it has made other schedule changes as a result of the cyclone.
“Safety is always our top priority, and our meteorologists continue to closely monitor the weather system. We are working with all stakeholders including airports, local councils, and authorities as the situation evolves,” the airline said.
Virgin Australia is currently operating a limited schedule to and from Brisbane Airport, suspending its flights from the afternoon of Wednesday through to Sunday.
Jetstar also put out a statement to say it has stopped operations at Gold Coast (Coolangatta) airport from 4pm on Wednesday due to the strong winds from the cyclone.
“We have contacted affected customers by SMS with options including alternative flights, a free move up to 14 days or a travel credit,” Jetstar said.
The budget airline is also offering flexibility on flights for customers who may no longer wish to travel.
Customers booked to travel in or out of the Ballina Byron Bay or Gold Coast (Coolangatta) airports between Tuesday 4 March and Sunday 16 March can visit their booking page to review their options.
Jetstar is offering a free date change up to seven days before and up to 14 days after the original travel date or a voucher for the value of untravelled flights.
“We know this will be inconvenient for customers and we thank everyone for their understanding and patience,” the airline added.
“At this time, flights to and from Sunshine Coast (MCY) and Hervey Bay (HVB) continue as scheduled.”
Qantas has suspended all flights from Gold Coast airport and Ballina until at least Sunday, and to Coffs Harbour through to Friday due to high wind conditions.
Coffs Harbour Airport said in an update on its social media that despite some Qantas flights being cancelled, the airport is “currently open”, but it is advising passengers travelling through its terminal over the coming days to monitor the status of their flights.
The airline is also offering flexibility to customers who have booked flights to or from Ballina, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Lord Howe Island and Maroochydore on or before Monday, for travel between Tuesday and Sunday or 16 March.
Qantas is offering a travel credit or a fee-free date up to 14 days from the original travel date.
Air New Zealand said if its passengers are travelling between now and 9 March to or from an impacted airport in Australia, they can defer their flight without a fee, hold the value of their ticket or change to another one of its destinations by paying the fare difference.
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