December 7, 2011 – AUSTRALIA – Extreme weather conditions have left thousands of passengers stranded at Perth Domestic Airport and 12,000 homes across Western Australia without power. At the domestic terminal, Qantas planes have been grounded since mid-morning yesterday as storm activity made conditions dangerous for flying. Perth Airport yesterday afternoon advised 17 aircraft were waiting to be allocated into bays at the domestic terminal, with airline staff unable to service the planes due to safety concerns. It is understood Virgin had grounded all flights out of Perth since yesterday morning. Perth Glory’s match against Sydney FC in Campbelltown tonight has been postponed after the team’s flight was also cancelled because of the weather. Glory was scheduled to fly yesterday, but thunderstorms across the city meant the club’s arranged flight could not get off the ground. Stranded commuters took to Twitter to vent their frustration, with reports of planes stuck on the tarmac waiting to be moved. “‘In my 30 years of flying experience I’ve never before seen chaos like this,’ said the captain whilst waiting on the tarmac at Perth Airport!” tweeted Timcorr . “Nothing in or out of the Perth airport as the storm gets worse,” added MattyTrent. Passengers said food vouchers were being handed out to help compensate for the delays. More than 12,000 homes across the state have experienced power outages as a result of yesterday’s storm, with Perth’s southern suburbs the hardest hit. A Western power spokeswoman said 4,800 homes lost power in Forrestfield after power lines at a railway freight yard near Dundas Rd were brought down. About 2000 homes in Kardinya were affected after a nearby power fault, while a lightning strike in nearby Murdoch cut power to 1,660 properties. -News excerpt
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