Christmas travel chaos as airlines cancel more than 4,500 flights

Passengers returning home for festive season face worldwide disruption as Omicron leaves airlines short-staffed

Passengers travelling over the Christmas holiday have been hit with disruption worldwide after airline companies cancelled more than 4,500 flights, according to a flight tracking website.

A surge of cancellations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came as the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant meant carriers were unable to staff their flights.