Thousands of flights canceled globally as Omicron mars Christmas weekend

Travelers check in at United Airlines kiosks at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. Air carriers scrapped more than 1,000 U.S. flights for one of the busiest weekends in the year, stranding passengers at airports during the Christmas holiday, - AP

NEW YORK: Commercial airlines around the world canceled more than 4,500 flights over the Christmas weekend, as a mounting wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant created greater uncertainty and misery for holiday travelers.

Airline carriers globally scrapped at least 2,401 flights on Friday, which fell on Christmas Eve and is typically a heavy day for air travel, according to a running tally on the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. Nearly 10,000 more flights were delayed.