KEY POINTS

  • More than 2,200 flights were canceled Sunday
  • China Eastern and Southwest had the most number of canceled flights Sunday
  • Staffing shortages and fuel costs have been blamed for some of the recent flight cancelations

International airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights Saturday and more than 2,200 flights Sunday amid an apparent surge in travel demand. Some airlines cited extreme weather as a reason for thousands of cancelations and delays over the summer, while others blamed supply chain issues.

Data from FlightAware showed that more than 2,200 global flights were canceled Sunday, while 22,895 flights were delayed. On Saturday, there were a total of 2,067 flight cancelations, and 23,019 flights were pushed back. According to the flight-tracking data platform, China Eastern airline led the pack with the most cancelations Sunday, as the airline canceled a total of 240 flights. Southwest followed with 176 cancelations, and Air China settled in third place, with 127 cancelations.

Flights were canceled Sunday in several countries, such as:

  • Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada – 36
  • Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia – 28
  • Auckland Airport in New Zealand – 28
  • Sydney Airport in New South Wales, Australia – 19
  • Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands – 16

FlightAware data further revealed that in terms of delayed flights in the United States, Southwest Airlines had the biggest figure, with a total of 1,405 delays Sunday. American Airlines delayed 964 flights, while United Airlines, Delta, China Southern Airlines, and Ryanair all had more than 600 delayed flights Sunday.

Southwest Airlines informed its customers Saturday that "weather in the northeastern U.S. is resulting in multiple disruptions." The Dallas-based airlines urged customers to check flight status information regularly.

The airports where the most number of canceled and delayed flights took place Sunday were Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Illinois, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, Haikou Meilan International Aiport (HAK) in China, Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in China, and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) in Illinois.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Lincoln, Illinois, forecasted Sunday afternoon that "isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms are possible this evening and tonight," adding that while severe weather probability is low, "locally heavy rain and isolated flash flooding is possible."

The global airline industry has been struggling with multiple issues throughout the summer season, The Hill reported. While some have reported staffing shortages, others have been faced with soaring fuel costs partnered with summer storms and extreme weather conditions.

Aside from staffing shortages in various roles, there has also been a pilot shortage in the industry over the past several months. Airlines were shocked by the high percentage of pilots and staffers grabbing buyout or early retirement packages which were initially used to cut staffing-related costs during the pandemic, CBS News reported.

As airline traffic started picking up in 2021, many airlines were over-scheduled, while others were widely understaffed. Travel demand continues to increase, but it remains to be seen whether airlines will resolve cancelation and delay problems anytime soon.

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane is seen at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the Greater Los Angeles Area, California, U.S., April 10, 2017.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane is seen at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the Greater Los Angeles Area, California, U.S., April 10, 2017. Reuters / Lucy Nicholson