Dozens of domestic flights have been cancelled across the country on Christmas Eve as COVID-19 requirements put a strain on airline staff.
A Sydney Airport spokeperson said at least 80 domestic flights had been cancelled across all airlines.
Jetstar confirmed a large number of its staff had been forced to get tested for COVID-19 and isolate, resulting in some late adjustments to its schedule.
A Jetstar spokesperson said the airline apologised for the impact of the changes and was working with passengers to find replacement flights.
"Unfortunately like many people in Sydney and Melbourne, a large number of our frontline team members are being required to test and isolate as close contacts given the increasing number of cases in the general community, and as a result we have had to make some late adjustments to our schedule," the spokesperson said.
"We appreciate the frustration this causes, especially as customers are travelling for Christmas, and sincerely apologise for the impact these changes are having on travel plans.
"We are working to minimise any delays and re-accommodating passengers on flights as close as possible to their original departure times across both Jetstar and Qantas services."
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said all passengers would make it to their final destination on Friday and nobody would be left stranded for Christmas.
"All impacted guests were contacted prior to travel and automatically moved onto alternative services that are departing as close to the original departure time as possible," the spokesperson said.
Epidemiologist Alexandra Martiniuk warned crucial industries faced "massive disruption" in the coming months as more and more workers were taken out of action after being deemed close contacts.
Staffing headaches emerged across many Sydney workplaces this week after a recent surge in COVID-19 case numbers, with 5,612 infections confirmed on Friday.
Those deemed a close contact, such as someone from the same household, must isolate for seven days and return two negative PCR tests before being allowed to return to work.
"Even if Omicron was so mild it caused zero hospitalisations, the disruption to our society and health system in terms of workers isolating is massive, especially in crucial workplaces such as food, healthcare and transportation," Professor Martiniuk said.
