Major airlines have cancelled 34 flights with 272 more delayed, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
There were significant delays recorded across the aviation networks of Australia and New Zealand on Sunday, April 26.
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at major travel hubs, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch.
Airlines including Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia were responsible for most of the cancellations, however the impact was felt across the wider travel network.
In New Zealand, many flights did not go ahead, whereas Australian passengers faced long waits.
The most delays were experienced at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, with 84 flights failing to depart or arrive or time.
Seven flights from the Victoria airport were also cancelled throughout the day.
All flights cancelled were either Virgin Australia or Jetstar.
As the busiest airport in Australia, Sydney was home to the most cancellation as 10 flights did not take off, leaving many passengers stuck at the popular location.
There was also a further 69 flights that were delayed.
In Brisbane another 62 flights also faced delays, with long wait times.
Over in New Zealand, Auckland was struck with eight cancelled flights and 44 delays.
These disruption particularly impacted long-haul connecting flights from the country.
In Wellington this disturbance was much less, but four flights were still cancelled.
The travel chaos comes amid growing concerns about air travel due to the ongoing Middle East conflict and fuel prices.
Although, this is not deemed the reason of the chaos, airlines in New Zealand have commented on the impact hiking energy costs are having.
On April 7, Air New Zealnad announced that it would cut back flights throughout May and June and raise ticket prices, noting it had been among the first carriers to introduce widespread fare increases when the conflict began.
Passengers who were impacted by the travel mayhem have been urged to contact their airlines to discuss compensation.
