One of Australia’s biggest airports has been closed and regional airports shuttered as a rare and dangerous cyclone bears down on Brisbane and south Queensland.
Published reports say Brisbane Airport and Gold Coast Airport south of Brisbane both have closed their doors as the storm approaches. Ballina Byron airport in north New South Wales also has closed its doors to commercial traffic.
“Brisbane Airport has announced that it is suspending operations, with terminals open only for defence operations,” MSN reports. “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.”
In an update issued on 06MAR at 3:30 p.m. AEST, Virgin Australia said it has “paused operations to and from Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ballina on Friday (7 March) and Saturday (8 March), and will resume flying on Sunday (9 March), as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia and a hub for overseas flights, including Air Canada flights from Vancouver.
More than 600 flights were cancelled across Australia on 05MAR and at least one major cruise cancelled. Weather experts are warning of winds in excess of 120 km/h, with waves as high as 30 feet and torrential rain. Video footage showed lines of cars leaving coastal areas of Queensland as residents looked to escape the ravages of Cyclone Alfred.
It’s the first major cyclone to hit Brisbane in 35 years, and it’s wreaking havoc on travel. As of 8 a.m. ET on 05MAR (06MAR in Australia), Flight Aware was showing more than 600 cancelled flights, most of them at Brisbane International Airport/BNE.
Flight Aware said 194 outgoing and 187 incoming flights were cancelled at BNE. The storm also was affecting flights in and out of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, with 113 flights cancelled at SYD, 83 at MEL and 22 at ADL.
Flight Aware said 179 Virgin Australia flights had been called, along with 106 from Qantas and 27 from Qantas Link.
Carnival Cruise Line said a scheduled, three-day sailing of Carnival Luminosa out of Brisbane on 06MAR was cancelled because of the cyclone. The Royal Caribbean blog site said pax booked on the upcoming 3-night sailing onboard RC’s Quantum of the Seas were informed that their cruise would not proceed as scheduled. The sailing was scheduled for March 7, 2025.
NationalWorld.com said Carnival Luminosa and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, which homeport in Brisbane seasonally, are stuck at sea until the port can safely reopen.
“Given its current track, the storm is expected to directly impact the Brisbane area in the coming days, and the port is now closed,” Carnival said. The cruise line said guests will receive a full refund.
The Independent said Queensland residents are stockpiling supplies and sandbagging homes against likely flooding when the category-two storm hits.
