Christmas Eve chaos as Jetstar and Virgin suddenly cancel dozens of flights in and out of Sydney with just a few hours’

Jetstar and Virgin airlines have caused Christmas Eve travel chaos by cancelling dozens of flights as families around Australia prepare to reunite with loved ones.

Hundreds of passengers suddenly found their plans in dire straits as they were notified late on Thursday night of the mass cancellations.

Australia’s busiest route between Sydney and Melbourne is by far the worst affected with 23 flights between the two capitals cancelled on Friday.