At least 5,700 flights have been cancelled worldwide and thousands more were delayed over Christmas weekend, the Flightware.com tracking website reported on Saturday.
On Friday, there were some 2,400 cancellations and 11,000 delays, while Christmas Day cancellations have already reached 800, the website specified.
This comes as employees at numerous airline companies, including pilots and flight attendants at Lufthansa, Delta, United Airlines, and many others have been calling in sick or had to self-isolate after contact with a COVID-positive person.
The cancellations and delays have disrupted the Christmas plans of millions of people who had planned to reunite with their families for the holidays after not being able to do so last year due to stricter coronavirus restrictions that were in place in most countries worldwide.