Between yesterday and today, airlines canceled around 4,500 flights worldwide and thousands of flights were delayed. All this due to a shortage of manpower due to the expansion of the Omigron variant of the Covit-19, according to the Flywear portal, which specializes in aviation.

The website reveals that around 2,300 flights were suspended on Christmas Eve, and the number of people looking to spend their holidays with family will always be busy and around 2,200 flights will have to be rescheduled for Christmas and 26.

Omigron Effect

The reason for this cancellation is similar to the new wave of coronavirus caused by micron, which is considered highly contagious, and is affecting the number of employees and employees at the airport.

According to FlightAware, some 700 of the affected aircraft originated or headed to the United States, the country worst hit by the epidemic and today the total number of infections exceeds 52 million, with more than 816,000 deaths.

The dominant variant in the United States

The Omigron variant already dominates the United States, with an average of 188,000 daily positives and an increasing epidemiological curve over the past week.

“The peak in Omigron cases across the country this week has had a direct impact on our employees and the people who run our business,” said United Airlines, with more than 200 departures canceled yesterday.

According to Flightaware, Delta Air Lines canceled 260 flights due to the coronavirus and low levels of severe weather.

“The Delta Group has exercised all options and resources,” the airline said in a statement.

Christmas at home

After being hit by the Christmas outbreak in 2020, the cancellations thwarted many people’s plans to spend the holidays with family or travel again during the last holiday of the year.

This situation is repeated to a lesser extent in the UK, Australia and China, where China Eastern canceled 480 flights, landing around 20% of scheduled flights and 15% of the total number of flights Air China had to fly. .

Airlines vs. Unions for flexibility efforts

As for the United States, the situation also revealed a war between the leaders of major airlines and unions.

In response to the pre-holiday chaos, airlines sent letters this week to Rochelle Valensky, director of the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC), asking them to ease isolation periods for people who are vaccinated to attend. virus for ten to five days.

Under pressure from a group of airlines representing Delta, the United States and the United States, the Air Trade Union Confederation (AFA) sent a letter to Valensky asking him to plan ten days.

Santa has no problem

However, the disruption had no effect on Santa’s itinerary, which North American Space Command (NORAD) has followed for 63 years.

NORAD Commander Lieutenant General Eric Kenny said: “Santa has been doing really well so far. He’d been in it for hours and would do it all night. ”

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill spoke to NORAD officials via videoconference to “confirm” that Santa’s trip was going smoothly.