Storm causes flight disruptions at Sydney Airport

There was disruption to flights at Sydney Airport as a storm cell swept through the city on Sunday afternoon, causing flash flooding in some areas, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

Air traffic control imposed a ground-stop on all flights into Sydney just before 5:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) for about an hour, according to the Australian ABC News broadcaster.

A Qantas spokesperson said that 20 flights were diverted to Melbourne and Canberra, where they would refuel before returning to Sydney.

There were also flight delays as a result of the disruption while roads around the domestic airport were flooded, impacting traffic, the ABC News said.

A Sydney Airport spokesman said the airport continued to operate as normal, but passengers should leave plenty of time for their journey to the airport and check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.

The New South Wales (NSW) State Emergency Service carried out 20 flood rescues across Sydney and responded to reports of 30 homes inundated in the city's southern suburb of Pagewood, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

The State Emergency Service responded to 94 other incidents in the last 24 hours involving flooded buildings, roads and homes, the newspaper reported.