Saturday, September 21, 2024

Perth Airport turns attention to flight backlog as refuelling fix ends hours of chaos

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Hundreds of people have also been stranded in Qatar as a result of the disruption at Perth Airport.

Images had also emerged of the disruption the issue is causing overseas, with hundreds of Perth-bound travellers now stranded at Doha International Airport in Qatar.

Some international flights had been diverted to regional airports, including Karratha, to avoid having to refuel in Perth.

Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti confirmed she had spoken with Perth Airport chief executive Jason Waters on Saturday morning and assured the public staff were working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

“These types of incidents, where an airport has to be shut down or limit its movements, of course inconvenience thousands of passengers,” she said.

“It is regrettable that it is happening, but these types of incidents happen around the world, whether it’s a technical issue or bad weather.”

It comes less than 24 hours after Perth Airport announced a $5 billion deal with Qantas to upgrade the airport with a new terminal and runway in a bid to facilitate up to 4.4 million extra passenger movements annually.

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