Sydney Airport chaos as dozens of flights are cancelled disrupting Christmas Day plans

Dozens of flights have been canceled at a major airport, throwing Christmas travel plans into chaos.

At least 23 flights have already been canceled at Sydney Airport over Christmas.

The canceled flights to and from Sydney include seven Virgin Australia flights, six Qantas flights and three Jetstar flights.

Some smaller regional airlines were also affected.

Flights arriving and departing from Sydney Airport were affected by thunderstorms on Sunday. More flights canceled for Christmas

The cancellation comes after the airport was hit by a severe storm that caused major disruption to flights on Sunday.

Sydney Airport recorded a total of 91.2mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, making it its wettest December day in 53 years.

Around 20 Qantas flights were delayed or diverted to Melbourne or Canberra on Christmas Eve.

A Sydney Airport spokesman blamed the flight cancellations at the time on “localized flooding”.

“Flights are currently arriving and departing, however some previous flights have been affected and some incoming flights have been delayed,” he said.

Sydney Airport flooded on Christmas Eve

A baggage handler can be seen struggling through the pouring rain at Sydney Airport on Sunday.

“Passengers are advised to allow sufficient time to travel to the airport and check with their airline about the status of their flight.”

Qantas confirmed the latest flight cancellations were due to bad weather.

On Sunday, the airport was swamped with buses and baggage handlers, drenched in water as they tried to go about their business.

Meteorologists have warned the bad weather will continue until Christmas and Boxing Day, with showers and thunderstorms on the east coast horizon.

There is a high chance of showers in Sydney on Monday, with between 2 and 20mm of rain forecast.