Domestic, international flights to resume but ash cloud threatens timetable

More domestic and international flights are set to resume today with major carriers including Qantas and Virgin announcing they will begin reinstating normal flight schedules.

However, airports around the country are likely to remain chaotic as airlines attempt to clear the backlog of cancelled flights, while safety services have warned the ash causing the problem may return.

Thousands of individuals and businesses have been caught up in the turmoil, with many passengers stranded at airports.

Qantas has announced services to and from Adelaide resumed at 5am, while Canberra services are due to resume at 1pm and Melbourne services scheduled to begin at 11am. Sydney services will resume at 2pm, however, Tasmania services will remain suspended for the rest of the day.

The company has indicated international flights from Sydney will resume from 2pm, although delays are expected on flights into Sydney, while international flights from Melbourne will resume from 11am, with incoming delays are expected as well.

But uncertainty continues for New Zealand travellers, with today’s Qantas services to and from Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch suspended until further notice.

Johannesburg flights will stop in Perth for refuelling, while Buenos Aires flights heading to Sydney may be diverted to Papeete for a fuelling stop.

Qantas says passengers should visit its flight status page to see if a particular flight is affected.

Meanwhile, Virgin has announced services will begin today from major cities. Adelaide flights started at 7am, Melbourne services are scheduled to resume at noon, Canberra and Sydney flights will start at 3pm, while Hobart and Launceston flights are set to begin from 4pm.

Some New Zealand flights have been cancelled, Virgin advises, a list of which is available here.

Tiger has also cancelled some Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide flights, along with some services from Brisbane. The full list of cancellations is available here. 

Overall, more than 100,000 passengers are said to have been affected by the ash cloud, which is passing over Australia for the second time. While last week some airlines were able to continue flying safely, experts say the cloud is now larger and lower, and may continue affecting flights for the next day or two.

Aviation Minister Anthony Albanese has told Fairfax the Bureau of Meteorology had predicted the ash cloud would affect different cities at different times, but in general, delays were expected for the next 48 hours. A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the company expects delays over the next two days.