Cairns Airport has ceased operations until further notice due to Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which is expected to cross the Queensland coast in the next 24 hours.
The North Queensland hub closed its domestic and international terminals at 8pm on Tuesday, with several airlines forced to cancel or reschedule services.
In an update last night, Cairns Airport told passengers not to come to the airport and to contact their airline directly for further advice.
“Cairns Airport operations will recommence when it is safe to do so, and we will advise updates via our Cairns Airport Facebook page and Cairns Airport website,” the hub stated.
“The next update is due to be issued at approximately 6pm tomorrow, Wednesday 13 December 2023, subject to any changed requirements.”
“We encourage you to listen to local radio for general cyclone updates or visit the Cairns Regional Council Disaster Dashboard.”
Bonza, who operates flights between Cairns and the Sunshine Coast, said it is actively tracking the cyclone as it heads to the Queensland coast.
Impacted Bonza customers will receive an SMS message and email confirming their flights have been cancelled and refunded.
“Currently flights AB583 and AB584 on 13 December have been cancelled,” the carrier said in an update on Tuesday night.
“Bonza flights arriving or departing Cairns Airport up to and including 17 December 2023 can be changed to another date at no charge – please reach out to our Support Centre using ‘Chat with us’ on the Fly Bonza app or Live chat on the website if you wish to change your flight during this period.”
International carrier Air Niugini advised its customers the airline had made changes to its Cairns schedule for this week.
Wednesday’s Port Moresby to Cairns flight (PX098) has been rescheduled to depart at 0445 on Thursday morning, arriving in Cairns at 0610, while its Cairns-Port Moresby (PX091) flight today has been cancelled.
“Customers who are holding tickets for the above flights may change or refund their flights without penalties. Please contact Air Niugini or your travel agent for further information,” the airline stated.
“Air Niugini will continue to monitor the situation and will make further changes to the Cairns schedule if required.”
Cairns-based Skytrans said that “based on current information, Skytrans will be resuming flights from Thursday morning”.
Meanwhile, regional carrier Airnorth said its Cairns-Gove services (TL160/161) were cancelled on Wednesday.
“We are contacting all impacted customers who have a phone number within their booking to assist accommodating them on the next available flight,” the airline added.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Jasper is due to arrive near Port Douglas as a category two storm but could make landfall anywhere between Cooktown to Atherton.
For the latest information on Tropical Cyclone Jasper, refer to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
Two weeks ago, it was announced North Queensland would be reconnected with China for the first time in nearly four years, thanks to a new China Eastern Airlines seasonal service between Cairns and Shanghai.
Flight Centre recently announced that Cairns was the most booked destination for couples within Australia in 2023.
