23 September 2009

Flight chaos as dust storms hit Australia

Severe dust storms in Sydney and along Australia’s east coast have left thousands of air passengers stranded.

Qantas said there are severe delays to both international and domestic flights.

International flights to Sydney have been diverted to Brisbane or Melbourne.

The airline is encouraging passengers with non-essential travel arrangements to reconsider their travel plans.

Jetstar said the storm was presenting "unprecedented flying conditions".

The thick red dust, blown in from the desert outback, has covered Sydney and has now reached southern Queensland.

Visibility in Sydney is so bad that harbour ferry traffic has also been disrupted.

Watch this video Sydney's dust storm

The Opera House and other landmarks are shrouded with red dust and many residents are wearing facemasks.

The BBC said children and the elderly have been told to stay indoors and emergency services have reported a surge in calls from people with breathing problems.

Officials said air pollution levels from the dust were the highest recorded since records began in the 1970s, with 15,500 micrograms of particles per cubic metre.

By Bev Fearis

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Your Comments (2)

Dust storm was a 6 hour wonder in Sydney

I was in Sydney during the dust storm. Stunningly eerie but it was over by 11am local time with all flights resuming and I flew out in the afternoon. This is only the third time in 107 years that a dust storm like like this has hit Sydney although it is common in the outback. It shouldn't hinder tourism at all

By Adrian Lawes, Friday, September 25, 2009
it's over !!!

hopefully the media will report it's over 24 hours after it started. Unfortunately, when Fiji flooded for 36 hours in Jan, the media kept reporting it up to a week or more later, when in reality, it rained, flooded & then water levels dropped all in 36 hours. Cost Fiji hundreds of millions in cancelled bookings, when, apart from extra potholes on roads, everything (touristwise) back to normal within days

By Craig Mathews, Thursday, September 24, 2009