US and Australian airlines have suspended hundreds of flights since Omicron caused a shortage of personnel

Airlines in the US and Australia have suspended hundreds of flights over Christmas, due to a shortage of personnel linked to coronavirus to disrupt final vacations.

United Airlines said it was forced to suspend 120 flights on Friday, while about 135 aircraft on its associated Delta Air Lines were suspended.

The coronavirus-related disruption resulted in a small proportion of flights as more than 1,900 flights were suspended from flights around the world on Friday, mainly due to non-epidemic complications, according to the FlightAware flight page.

The United and Delta suspensions however do show signs of an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus linked to the Omicron genus.

Delta said it had “lost all means and resources”, including repairing some aircraft, trying to avoid a ban.

“The global increase in Omicron cases this week has had a profound effect on our pilots and the people who run our operations,” United said.

The turmoil comes at one of the busiest times of the year in the US, with travelers rushing home for Christmas.

More than 2m people passed through U.S. airports on Wednesday, more than the number that flew in 2019, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said.

There was also a disruption in Australia over Christmas, including a ban on 80 of the approximately 500 household chores at Sydney Airport.

Jetstar, a low-cost airline from Melbourne, was forced to suspend other airlines after many of its employees separated and tested the Covid-19 as part of compliance laws.

“We have tried to minimize any delays and have provided more accommodation within a few hours from their departure time so that they can get to their destination by Christmas time,” the plane said.

Airlines in the UK and Europe did not mention major disruptions over Christmas, although EasyJet has added its own flight crew and pilots to the UK and Europe as a precautionary measure.

Passengers in the UK have also been warned to anticipate delays and short-term changes during the holidays, as these companies suffer from a shortage of workers.

Avanti West Coast, ScotRail and Southern were some of the sailors warning of a possible disruption on Friday.

As many as 9 percent of railway workers in the UK were due to illness or isolation, the Rail Delivery Group said earlier this week.