Ballina/Byron Bay flights scrapped as cyclonic winds set in

Flights into and out of Ballina Byron Gateway Airport have been cancelled as the northern NSW and southeast QLD prepare for Tropical Cyclone Alfred. 

Jetstar flights JQ459 and JQ461 from Sydney and JQ465 from Melbourne, along with three departures from the airport have been cancelled due to strong winds.

Qantas has cancelled flights QF2062 and QF2063 in and out of Ballina. Virgin has cancelled flights VA1139 and VA1140. 

Residents along the southeast Queensland coast are on high alert as Tropical Cyclone Alfred tracks westward towards land. As of 10:00 am AEST, the Category 2 system was located 345 kilometres east of Brisbane, packing sustained winds of 95 km/h with gusts up to 130 km/h.

The cyclone is expected to maintain its intensity as it nears the coast, with landfall likely early Friday morning between Maroochydore and Coolangatta. A warning zone is in place from Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales, including major centres such as Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Byron Bay. Authorities urge residents to prepare for strong winds, heavy rainfall, and hazardous conditions over the coming days.

Qantas says safety first

“Our teams continue to closely monitor the cyclone and we are contacting customers directly with any changes to their flights,” a Qanats spokesperson said.

“We’re also working alongside the multiple airport authorities, air traffic control and airport services providers to ensure any impact to schedules is clearly communicated to customers and our people.

“The safety of our customers and people is our main priority.

“We have proactively cancelled a number of flights today from South East Queensland and Northern NSW.

“The situation remains fluid and flight cancellations and delays will evolve over the coming days.

“We encourage our customers to regularly check the Qantas app, Qantas.com and Jetstar.com, and their email and SMS channels, as we will update them directly or via their travel agent.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

All Greyhound Brisbane services cancelled

All Greyhound services entering and exiting Brisbane will be cancelled from 1pm (AEST) tomorrow, Thursday 6 March, for the safety of passengers, team members, and general public, the coach line said.

Services will remain cancelled on Friday 7 March between Brisbane <> Hervey Bay, Brisbane <> Toowoomba, and Brisbane <> Byron Bay.

All other services will continue to operate as per current timetables, travelling to the north between Hervey Bay <> Cairns, west between Toowoomba <> Charleville <> Mount Isa, and south between Byron Bay <> Sydney.

“This decision does not come lightly, and we are aware this may impact people’s travel plans,” the coach line said.

All passengers booked on affected services can choose to move their travel to a new date (subject to availability) free of charge.

Passengers can also cancel and request a travel credit by contacting our Customer Service team on 1300 473 946 or travel agent.