TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Wild winds cause air travel chaos in Australia, fan major bushfires

Karishma Luthria (Reuters)
Sydney, Australia
Fri, November 23, 2018 Published on Nov. 23, 2018 Published on 2018-11-23T13:49:21+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Wild winds cause air travel chaos in Australia, fan major bushfires A dust storm already engulfing parts of Australia’s outback is heading toward the country’s biggest city, sparking public health warnings over poor air quality. (Bloomberg/File)

S

trong winds across Australia's southeast coast on Friday caused commuter chaos at Sydney and Melbourne airports, the country's two busiest, with thousands of air travelers stranded after dozens of flights were cancelled.

Winds gusting up to 70 kmh (44 mph) also fanned major bushfires along the east coast, threatening homes and forcing evacuations.

Sydney Airport cancelled 76 flights after all but one runway was closed due to the strong winds, reducing flight movements to 23 per hour, more than half the usual rate.

"It’s not safe to have flights landing or departing and as a result we are going to a single runway, there are delays," Sydney Airport told Reuters.

Melbourne Airport also reduced the number of flights allowed to arrive and depart each hour due to Sydney Airport cancellations.

The strong winds fanned fires across New South Wales state, with Australia's Rural Fire Service reporting 21 fires.

Read also: Sydneysiders warned to stay indoors as outback dust storm looms

A Boeing 737 modified for use as a waterbomber was used to fight bushfires around the city of Newcastle, north of Sydney, said the Rural Fire Service. The aircraft can carry 15,000 litres (3,960 gallons) of water or fire retardant.

"(This) was the first operational drop that its done in the world...it has proven to be effective," Chris Garlick, a spokesman for the NSW Rural Fire Services told Reuters.

Fires around the popular tourist spot of Port Stephens, nearly 200 km (124 miles) north of Sydney, forced an emergency evacuation of residents. There were no reports of injuries or loss of property. Emergency workers warned the strong winds threaten to escalate the fires.

The strong winds are part of a massive weather system over southeast Australia, that whipped up a 500 km (310 miles) dust storm on Thursday, which swept across the drought-pratched interior to blanket Sydney.

The weather system also brought snow storms to southern parts of the country and around the national capital Canberra, due to icy winds and low temperatures in the southern end of the storm cell.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said winds would ease by Friday evening, offering some respite to travellers and fire fighters.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.