Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

In more on Thursday 25 June, QF43, the afternoon 1620 hours SYD up to DPS (A333 VH-QPB) did not take off until 1713 as it previously operated domestic BNE down to SYD flight QF527 that arrived at 1501, so had to transfer terminals. It should arrive at its DPS gate mid evening tonight at about 2125 hours, 35 minutes tardy.

The CDG-SIN-SYD QF256 (B789 VH-ZNC) should arrive the latter at about 1830 tonight, 150 minutes late given its previous flight, QF255 was badly delayed as earlier noted.

FR24 shows on one line today's QF93 (B789 VH-ZND) as taking off at 1012 hours this morning from MEL bound for LAX, but on the next line (above) depicts the same flight as being delayed in departure until 2245 hours tonight, which would be a 13 hour delay. The latter is incorrect. This occasionally happens with FlightRadar 24: I don't know why.

A333 VH-QPC on the MEL to HKG QF29 today took off at 1139 so gate arrival becomes an estimated 1842, 47 late.

QPH is on the SYD up to HND QF59 that is arriving tonight at 2046 hours, 36 late as this 1115 hours timetabled offering was not airborne until 1205.

 

[Melburnian1]

Continuing with Thursday 25 June, the 'extra stop' QF63 (A388 VH-OQK) departed PER at 1600 hours with JNB gate arrival at this stage likely at 2156 hours, 331 minutes late if comparing to the usual nonstop timetable.

The 1845 hours JNB-SYD QF64 will be most unlikely to depart before midnight South African time.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 26 June, QF64 from JNB to SYD (A388 VH_OQK) is arriving at a forecast 1809 hours this evening, 194 minutes late due to QF63 operating yesterday via an intermediate PER stop.

This is expected to delay the 1750 hours QF11 (SYD-LAX) to an assumed pushback time of 2015 mid evening.

 

[Ade]

26 June 2026 - QF cancellations, MEL domestic - As at 1000 local time.

 

[flydoc2]

26 June 2026 - QF cancellations, domestic - As at 1000 local time.

View attachment 512193

Ex-MEL?
SYD not nearly so affected (yet), departure board projected just a single SYD-MEL flight pair cancelled ‘due ATC’

 

[Ade]

Ex-MEL?
SYD not nearly so affected (yet), departure board projected just a single SYD-MEL flight pair cancelled ‘due ATC’

Yes, Ex-MEL. Fixed my original post. I'm due MEL-SYD to be in SYD tonight for 2mrw's masterclass. Fingers crossed.

 

[Melburnian1]

@Ade , it's good that QFd now publishes a reason but what on earth does 'due to operational requirements' mean?

'Constraints' is misspelt, indicating that these reasons are manually inputted rather than selecting from a drop down list.

QF614 omits the word 'Flight' before the 'adverse weather' reason, unlike some others.

 

[Melburnian1]

In another A380 Friday 26 June delay, the 1200 'high noon' QF7 from SYD to DFW (VH-OQB) departed at 1331 hours and was airborne at 1347. It should arrive in Texas at about 1335, 65 minutes late.

FR24 claims it will arrive at gate at 1707 same day: a massive overestimate of the delay.

On Wednesday 24 June, the SYD-SIN QF81 arrived at gate at 1804 hours, 69 late. Yesterday it pulled in at 1754, 59 late. Today with A388 VH-0QJ it took off at 1314 hours so forecast arrival at gate becomes 1921 hours, 146 minutes late. This flight has variable 'motive power': mostly A333s with occasional showing from an A360. On Sunday 28, it's to be a B789.

A333 VH-QPD on the SYD up to HND in Japan QF59 should arrive tonight at 2112 hours, 62 minutes late. This is the third consecutive day it has/will arrive(d) more than half an hour late.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 26 June, QF64 from JNB to SYD (A388 VH_OQK) is arriving at a forecast 1809 hours this evening, 194 minutes late due to QF63 operating yesterday via an intermediate PER stop.

This is expected to delay the 1750 hours QF11 (SYD-LAX) to an assumed pushback time of 2015 mid evening.

A388 VH-OQK did not arrive at its SYD gate until 1831 hours on Friday 26 June.

QF11 is optimistically expected to push back at 2035.

UPDATE: A more realistic time of 2110 hours for pushback is displaying as at 2048 AEST.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Saturday 27 June 2026, QF29 (A333 VH-QPC) is the scheduled 1015 hours MEL-HKG that had yet to depart by 1130. One for @tomlee1986 !

A332 VH-EBJ is rostered for QF51, the 1105 hours BNE up to SIN altered to depart at a forecast 1200 'high noon'.

A333 VH-QPI is operating QF79, the 0935 hours MEL-NRT in Japan that was up up and away at 1109 hours. Gate arrival should be about 1957 hours, 57 minutes behind schedule.

The 1200 'high noon' QF7 from SYD to DFW with A388 VH-OQJ is estimated to depart this afternoon at 1415 hours. I am unsure why (perhaps additional maintenance?) as the plane arrived SYD this morning nine minutes early at 0636 hours as QF82 overnight from SIN.

Colleague -OQH is on QF93, the 0945 hours MEL-LAX altered to depart at 1145 hours. Exactly like OQJ above, OQH arrived MEL at 0636 hours this morning as QF94 from LAX, nine minutes early.

 

[tomlee1986]

On Saturday 27 June 2026, QF29 (A333 VH_QPC) is the scheduled 1015 hours MEL-HKG that had yet to depart by 1130. One for @tomlee1986 !

A332 VH_EBJ is rostered for QF51, the 1105 hours BNE up to SIN altered to depart at a forecast 1200 'high noon'.

A333 VH-QPI is operating QF79, the 0935 hours MEL-NRT in Japan that was up up and away at 1109 hours. Gate arrival should be about 1957 hours, 57 minutes behind schedule.

The 1200 'high noon' QF7 from SYD to DFW with A388 VH-OQJ is estimated to depart this afternoon at 1415 hours. I am unsure why (perhaps additional maintenance?) as the plane arrived SYD this morning nine minutes early at 0636 hours as QF82 overnight from SIN.

Colleague -OQH is on QF93, the 0945 hours MEL-LAX altered to depart at 1145 hours. Exactly like OQJ above, OQH arrived MEL at 0636 hours this morning as QF94 from LAX, nine minutes early.

Actually the flight is at runway at 1147 for QF29 - let’s see what damage is done for the late departure

 

[Melburnian1]

Actually the flight is at runway at 1147 for QF29 - let’s see what damage is done for the late departure

QF29 is forecast to arrive at its HKG gate at 1857 hours, 62 minutes late.

 

[tomlee1986]

QF29 is forecast to arrive at its HKG gate at 1857 hours, 62 minutes late.

Then we need to also check which flight they will form as the return - worse if it’s the 128 to SYD

 

[Melburnian1]

The expected delay to QF93 from MEL to LAX on Saturday 27 June has worsened as far as departure goes to almost three hours, with 1243 the supposed revised pushback time.

UPDATE: QF93 took off at 1243, so it must have pushed back 15 minutes prior. Gate arrival in LAX becomes 0913 hours, 128 minutes late.

The expected departure delay to QF7 in Sydney has increased to 1445 hours, which would be 165 minutes late. That time has passed.

 

[tomlee1986]

The expected delay to QF93 from MEL to LAX on Saturday 27 June has worsened as far as departure goes to almost three hours, with 1243 the supposed revised pushback time.

UPDATE: QF93 took off at 1243, so it must have pushed back 15 minutes prior. Gate arrival in LAX becomes 0913 hours, 128 minutes late.

The expected departure delay to QF7 in Sydney has increased to 1445 hours, which would be 165 minutes late. That time has passed.

Big update for QPC - the QF 29 flight to HKG, it WILL form the 128 to SYD , delayed to 2010 departure instead of 1930- optimistic scenario!!!

Actual take off time is 2135, now ETA is 0817 instead of 0645 for QF128 HKG SYD

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 28 June 2026, QF143 (B738 VH-XZP, the 0855 hours SYD-AKL) was airborne at 1041 hours with gate arrival forecast for 82 minutes late at 1527 mid afternoon. Yesterday this flight arrived AKL at 1522, 77 late.

A333 VH-QPC is operating QF127, the scheduled 1010 hours midmorning SYD-HKG airborne at 1122 with gate arrival said to be 1832 in the early evening, 37 behind.

 

[Melburnian1]

In more on 28 June, B738 VH-VZZ on the 0955 hours SYD-NLK (QF179) looked to possibly be taxiing back to the apron as at 1207 hours. From what I can see it did not previously take off. The aircraft had arrived this morning in SYD (ex WLK as QF162) at 0723 hours, 22 minutes early.

UPDATE: Despite its unusual taxiing, the aircraft took off at 1213 hours with NLK arrival forecast for 1516 hours, 111 minutes late.

 

[tomlee1986]

On Sunday 28 June 2026, QF143 (B738 VH-XZP, the 0855 hours SYD-AKL) was airborne at 1041 hours with gate arrival forecast for 82 minutes late at 1527 mid afternoon. Yesterday this flight arrived AKL at 1522, 77 late.

A333 VH-QPC is operating QF127, the scheduled 1010 hours midmorning SYD-HKG airborne at 1122 with gate arrival said to be 1832 in the early evening, 37 behind.

That QPC - let’s see if they will form 128 again - and if it happens… another late departure

 

[NamarrgonFlyer]

Quite the annoying adventure for those travelling on QF281 yesterday to the planned destination of Wellington.

Weather chaos in the capital had the A220 attempt to land twice before diverting to AKL. They then stayed stuck on the tarmac for 4.5 hours as AKL didn't have the equipment available for the A220.

From a comment on Facebook from the page 'New Zealand Proud' :

When an airline covers a massive delay with generic phrases like "operational and administrative complexities," you usually know things went properly off the rails behind the scenes. That’s exactly what happened to passengers aboard Qantas flight QF281, operated by National Jet Systems from Brisbane to Wellington. They didn't just experience a delay—they were stuck sitting on the tarmac in Auckland for five grueling hours with confusing information that was hard to make sense of. Yesterday, we shared the story of a 14-year-old girl flying alone who was caught up in the mess while her worried family tried to get answers from the ground. Today, as her dad hits the road for his second massive drive to Wellington Airport to finally collect her, we spoke to passengers who were inside the cabin to find out what actually went down.

The flight started out normal enough, but Wellington's notorious weather had other plans. The pilots tried to land twice, but the thick low cloud meant they couldn't get the 900-foot clearance required for a safe touchdown. Passenger Anna-Maria Sviatko told us that this seemed to be specific to their aircraft, as a few other planes did manage to land. With Wellington out of the question, the crew looked for a backup. Christchurch was the obvious choice, but the word quickly spread that all the city's hotels were already packed to the brim with passengers from other diverted flights. So, they headed north and touched down in Auckland just after 4:00 PM, and that’s where everyone stayed.

For five hours, nobody was allowed off the plane. According to Anna-Maria, conversations with the crew revealed a bizarre chain of logistical roadblocks. First, the flight was using a brand-new model of plane, and passengers were told that if they went to a standard gate to let people off, Auckland Airport didn't actually have the equipment needed to push that specific aircraft back out. If they went to a gate, the plane was stuck. Second, because of the gate issue, the captain originally planned to just fly everyone straight back to Brisbane, but several passengers on board didn't have the correct visas to re-enter Australia. Sorting out that legal headache took hours. Finally, once Qantas gave up on the Brisbane plan and decided to let people off where they were parked, it took quite a while just to organize the physical steps and buses to ferry everyone to the terminal.

Inside the cabin, the lack of information made things worse. This particular style of plane didn't have seatback screens, so passengers couldn't even look at a flight tracker to see where they were heading when they left Wellington. The crew were too busy flying the plane to make immediate announcements, and no water runs were made. "They did break out the emergency chips at one point—hurrah for emergency chips!" Anna-Maria said. "But I was told that they were the 'dinner' that had just been loaded for the trip back to Brisbane. I suspect the crew knew by that stage we wouldn't be returning." Despite the nightmare, Anna-Maria had nothing but praise for the flight crew, Rowan and Valentina, appreciating their personal connection with passengers and the fact that they were able to show that they were frustrated too.
Getting off the plane didn't mean the chaos was over. Anna-Maria only had carry-on bags, so she went through the express biosecurity exit—and walked straight into a total information vacuum. Qantas had staff at the baggage carousels, but if you didn't have checked bags, you were entirely on your own. Because Anna-Maria didn't have a local mobile connection, she only knew she had been rebooked on a flight today because she manually logged into her Qantas account online. There was no information at the airport on what to do. In the end, the central Auckland Airport info desk phoned someone and only then were they told they should go to the international terminal. She was disappointed that no one thought to inform the domestic info desk what was happening to let any wandering, lost refugees know what to do.
Getting accommodation and food vouchers was equally hit-and-miss. Anna-Maria got one after waiting at the international desk while staff waited for Sydney to load more hotel rooms, but others left empty-handed. She got another voucher the next morning when she finally checked in, but her fellow passenger only got one when Anna-Maria asked if she had hers, prompting the staff member to say, "Oh, I forgot!"
While the adults were trying to navigate the terminal, it was an incredibly stressful night for families waiting on the ground. A 14-year-old girl was flying alone from Brisbane to spend the school holidays with her dad, Luke, and stepmum, Tash. She’d been awake since 3:30 AM Brisbane time. Her dad drove four hours from Taranaki to Wellington to pick her up, got told the flight was diverted, and started driving home. He got as far as Levin when he heard the plane might still try for Wellington, so he turned right around and drove back. Tash, who was trying to sort this out while literally stuck in a hospital bed herself, got nothing but a runaround from the airline helpline, which claimed the flight was departing Auckland at 6:00 PM to get to Wellington at 7:00 PM despite it already being 8:00 PM. Tash ended up calling Auckland Airport directly just to find out the flight had been cancelled. By 11:30 PM, the teenager still wasn't in a hotel room, just waiting around with food vouchers.

Another passenger, Hohepa TK, said his daughter was on the flight for a surprise visit home after living in Brisbane since October 2025. The total lack of communication completely ruined the surprise and left the whole whānau incredibly stressed, though he’s just glad she’s safe and heading home today. When asked for comment, Qantas apologized for the experience and said their teams worked hard to get everyone accommodated and rebooked on the next available services.

Thankfully, the story ended with a bit of classic Kiwi resilience. The next morning, the passengers gathered in a small basement gate at Auckland Airport to wait for their flight to Wellington. In one last bit of irony, the airport departures board was still mistakenly showing that they were boarding a flight back to Brisbane. But instead of anger, a bit of a party atmosphere took over the gate, with happy chatter and people introducing themselves to one another.

And the final twist? When they finally got back on the plane, they realised it was the exact same aircraft with the exact same Adelaide-based crew from the day before. "It's like a family reunion!" Anna-Maria laughed. Luke’s daughter is finally expected home this afternoon, and the 14-year-old’s dad is currently waiting at Wellington Airport again. Hopefully, a few lessons can be learnt from this experience. We know it was weather-related, but making sure you can actually get the passengers out of the aircraft is a good first step for wherever you are flying to.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Quite the annoying adventure for those travelling on QF281 yesterday to the planned destination of Wellington.

Weather chaos in the capital had the A220 attempt to land twice before diverting to AKL. They then stayed stuck on the tarmac for 4.5 hours as AKL didn't have the equipment available for the A220.

From a comment on Facebook from the page 'New Zealand Proud' :

From above

. Finally, once Qantas gave up on the Brisbane plan and decided to let people off where they were parked, it took quite a while just to organize the physical steps and buses to ferry everyone to the terminal.

Should have been obvious 5 minutes after landing (or 15 minutes before) the A220 could not use the an airbridge. So go and get some manual stairs from Air NZ over at AKL domestic. Should be in the planning for diversions, CHC may have been no better. The NZ govt bureaucracy would not have helped.