Travelers face hour-long queues at Australia’s biggest airports

Australians traveling for the Easter break are again anticipating hour-long waits as the nation’s largest airports and airlines continue to battle a staffing crisis. 

Sydney Airport has advised people traveling domestically to arrive more than two hours ahead of their scheduled flight—twice as long as usual—as it braces for 82,000 travelers to pass through its doors Thursday. Passengers reported long queues to check in and pass security screening from as early as 4am, while staff have been handing out snacks to passengers at Melbourne Airport, according to social media posts. 

Disruptions at Australia’s airports have persisted for more than a week as understaffed airlines and associated services struggle to cope with a rush of travelers. It adds to headaches being experienced in Europe and the US, where a rebound in travel caught airlines and airports off-guard after they axed thousands of jobs to get through the early months of the pandemic. 

In Australia, Qantas Airways Ltd. has said staff absences are running as high as 50% due to Covid infections or isolation requirements. Meanwhile Singapore’s Certis Cisco Security Pte, which is contracted to provide security services at Sydney Airport, has offered grocery store vouchers worth up to A$50 ($37.27) to entice workers to take on extra shifts, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. 

Sydney Airport in a tweet Thursday said most passengers are clearing screening points within one hour and queues are expected to ease toward midday before the afternoon rush. 

Sydney Airport was last month bought out by a consortium of investors including IFM Investors Pty. and AustralianSuper Pty, the nation’s largest pension. Melbourne Airport is owned by funds including IFM Investors and Australia’s sovereign wealth fund.