Airlines are assessing their schedules after part of Cairns airport was engulfed as record rainfall caused widespread flooding in north Queensland.
The Australian regional airport stressed that neither its international or domestic terminals had been “adversely affected” by the flooding.
Authorities worked throughout the day to pump water out, clear and insect the runway along with its lighting and infrastructure after images from the scene showed light aircraft submerged at the airport.
Extreme weather driven by a tropical cyclone reportedly dumped a year’s worth of rain on some areas, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
An airport statement issued at 4pm local time today said: “We are happy to report the runway is now clear and there runway lighting is operational, so the aerodrome is serviceable for aircraft movements.”
A detailed update was provided in a briefing to airlines and other key stakeholders.
“Airlines will now assess their own flight operations and procedures to determine when they can recommence services at Cairns airport,” the statement added.