Ômicron forces cancellation of more than 2,000 flights on Christmas Eve

The advance of the new Micron variant has led to the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights around the world on Friday Christmas Eve, according to monitoring website Fligth Aware. The United States was the country most affected, with about 460 flights suspended, equal to 22% of the total.

COVID-19: Germany confirms the first death of a micron-variable patient

The airlines said they have faced staff shortage problems due to the infection of their staff or forced isolation. United Airlines said the increase in cases due to Micron “has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people running our operations,” adding that it was contacting affected passengers before they arrived at the airport.

Delta Air Lines said Thursday it had “exhausted all options and resources – including rerouting aircraft, crew and alternatives to cover scheduled flights – before canceling about 90 flights on Friday.”

Video: Two children rescued from bathtub debris after a hurricane in the United States

In Australia, thousands of holiday flights were also affected on Friday, with more than 100 domestic flights from Sydney and Melbourne to other cities cancelled. Covid-19 cases in the country have reached their highest level since the start of the pandemic.

A spokesperson for Jetstar, which is responsible for many of the cancellations, said the airline had rescheduled the “vast majority” of affected passengers “a few hours before their original departure time so they could reach their destination in time for Christmas”.

In Europe, a spokesperson for Eurostar service, which links Paris to London, reported that a small number of trains were canceled due to reduced demand due to travel restrictions across the continent.

Several European countries are preparing to impose new restrictions soon after the holiday period, including Germany, which will limit private meetings to 10 people and nightclubs will be closed from December 28. Football matches will also be played behind closed doors. Portugal ordered bars and clubs to close from December 26 and made work at home mandatory from that date until January 9.