More Than 1,600 Xmas Eve Flights Canceled Globally due to Omicron

Thousands of Christmas Eve flights were canceled globally at the last minute, on Thursday, because of the recent spike of Omicron cases.

The New York Times reported that United Airlines canceled at least 150 flights scheduled to leave dozens of airports on Friday — along with 44 more that were supposed to take off on Saturday, according to Flight Aware.

In like manner, dozens of flights were also canceled in Australia in the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne as coronavirus cases surged to their highest since the start of the pandemic.

Accordingly, the Flight Aware website pointed out that the number of cancellations globally as of Friday morning added up to more than 1,600.

The Omicron variant, which now accounts for more than 70 percent of new coronavirus cases in the United States, has ruined Christmas plans for many people across the world.

In its statement, United said that Omicron’s “direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation” led to the cancellations.

Italy also banned all public New Year’s Eve celebrations to curb surging COVID-19 infections as daily infections hit a record high, the government announced on Thursday.