More than 7,000 flights canceled this weekend while omicron spreads around the world |The financial

More than 7.000 flights were canceled worldwide by airlines during the long Christmas weekend due to the meteoric progression of the Covid-19 omicron variant, which is particularly affecting the crews of airplanes.

Europe is currently the region with more cases, with 3.022.868 In the last seven days, 57% of the world total, as well as with the largest amount of deaths, followed by the United States and Canada (1.421.516 new contagios).

France crossed the threshold of 100.000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours on Christmas Saturday, an unprecedented number.The Government will evaluate the situation on Monday.

According to the latest report of the FlightAware website, there were about 2.000 flight cancellations on Sunday, of which more than 570 were trips related to the United States, whether international or internal.

On Saturday, the same place had identified about 2.800 flight cancellations, 970 of them related to the United States.

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On Friday the cancellations were around 2.400 and delays approached 11.000, according to FlightTAware.

Numerous companies had to put a quarantine pilots, flight attendees and other staff members who were exposed to COVID.For this reason Lufthansa, Delta and United Airlines had to cancel flights.

According to FlightTAware, United Airlines annulled 439 flights on Friday and Saturday, about 10% of the scheduled.

"The peak of omicron cases throughout the country this week has had a direct impact on our crews and the people who run our operations," explained the US company, who said he is working to find solutions for affected passengers.

Delta Air Lines also canceled more than 300 flights on Saturday and 170 the previous day, again according to FlightTAware, which mentions an omicron as the main cause of cancellations, and, occasionally, to adverse climatic conditions.

"Delta's teams have exhausted all options and resources" before reaching these cancellations, the airline argued.

More than ten Alaska Airlines flights were also canceled, whose employees said they have been "potentially exposed to the virus" and announced their decision to put themselves in quarantine.

Nevadas y fuertes lluvias

Climatic conditions contributed to flight suppressions.

In the west of the United States, snowstorms and strong temperatures were forecast, further complicating an already chaotic situation.

But cities like Seattle and Portland could enjoy a Christmas with snow.

"The abnormally cold and humid conditions of the Pacific will be in prolonged periods of snowfall and rains," said the United States National Meteorological Service (NWS).

The Chinese airlines were responsible for most cancellations: China Eastern cut around 540 flights, more than a quarter of the total scheduled, while Air China canceled 267, also close to a quarter of their planned exits.

All these cancellations constitute a hard blow to the long -awaited resumption of trips on the holidays at the end of the year, after a 2020 Christmas marked by the pandemic.

In the United States, according to estimates of the automobile association, more than 109 million people were expected to leave their immediate area by plane, train or car between December 23 and January 2, an increase of 34% with respect to the last year.

Cancellations did not happily affected Dad Noel, controlled for decades by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

NORAD told exactly 7.623.693.263 gifts distributed this year, after having followed the sled route thanks to a sensor placed in the nose of one of the reindeer, the command explained.

Until 11h00 GMT this Sunday the pandemic had caused the death of at least 5.394.775 people around the world since the WHO office in China reported the appearance of the disease at the end of December 2019 in that country, according to a report prepared by the AFP from official sources.

The Chinese city of Xi’an, where 13 million inhabitants are confined, announced a "total" disinfection on Sunday and tightened the restrictions, at the time the country records its highest peak of infections in 21 months.