Health

Over 2,000 flights cancelled worldwide due to Omicron on Christmas Eve

Washington, Dec 24 (EFE).- Over 2,000 flights worldwide were cancelled on Christmas Eve due to the highly contagious coronavirus variant Omicron, ​​FlightAware, a company that provides real-time flight information, reported Friday.

By 9 am local time in the United States on Friday, over 2,045 flights had already been cancelled worldwide, including 457 flights to or from the US, and 4,604 flights were delayed globally.

According to FlightAware, the US airlines with the most delays are United, with 9% of its flights cancelled and 3% delayed, as well as Delta, which had to cancel 6% of its itineraries and delay 2% of its flights.

The cancellations are caused by a “combination of issues” including weather conditions as well as the spread of Omicron, a Delta airline spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, United said Omicron was having a “direct impact” on flight crews and company personnel who are in isolation after being in contact with the virus.

The Omicron variant has led to an increase in infections worldwide and has prompted some European countries, such as Spain, Italy and Germany among others to reintroduce restrictions including outdoor face coverings and limits of gatherings capacity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the variant has already become the predominant one in the US, accounting for 73.2% of infections between December 12-18. EFE

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