AMN / WEB DESK

Commercial airlines around the world cancelled more than 4,000 flights over the Christmas weekend, as a wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant created greater uncertainty and misery for holiday travelers. Airline carriers globally scrapped at least 2,314 flights on Friday, which fell on Christmas Eve.

According to a running tally on the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com., another 1,404 Christmas Day flights were called off worldwide, along with 340 more scheduled for Sunday.

Commercial air traffic within the US and into or out of the country accounted for roughly a fourth of all the canceled flights over the weekend.

COVID-19 infections have surged in the US in recent days due to the highly transmissible variant Omicron. The average number of new COVID cases has risen 45% to 179,000 per day over the past week. New York reported more than 44,000 newly confirmed infections on Friday alone, shattering that state’s daily record.

In Britain, many industries and transport networks were struggling with staff shortages as sick workers self-isolated, while hospitals have warned of the risk of an impact on patient safety.

According to data released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics, one in 20 Londoners had COVID-19 last week, a figure that could rise to one in 10 by early next week.

While recent research suggests Omicron produces milder illness, and a lower rate of hospitalizations, than previous variants of COVID-19, health officials have maintained a cautious note about the outlook.