Adelaide is currently facing challenging weather conditions that have impacted passengers arriving for the AFL’s Gather Round. Numerous flights have experienced diversions and delays due to severe thunderstorms in the area.
One notable incident involved Jetstar flight JQ772, which had to turn back to Melbourne just before its descent into Adelaide at around 11:10 am. A Jetstar representative confirmed that the return was necessitated by adverse weather conditions on the ground. After landing back in Melbourne shortly after 1 pm, this flight is now delayed by approximately five and a half hours, with a new expected arrival time in Adelaide set for 5:15 pm.
Additionally, a flight scheduled to depart from Adelaide to Brisbane at 10:30 am also had to return after circling the airspace for nearly an hour. To add to the disruption, over a dozen other domestic flights have encountered delays, and one flight to Melbourne has been cancelled.
These weather challenges can be attributed to the region receiving 16 mm of rain since midnight, accompanied by showers and isolated thunderstorms that have swept through southern South Australia.
As more than 200,000 AFL fans are expected to gather in South Australia for the weekend-long football festival, the events kick off tonight at 7:40 pm AEDT, featuring a match between Adelaide and Carlton at the Adelaide Oval.
With ongoing poor weather, passengers and fans alike are advised to stay updated on flight statuses and potential delays.