Bad weather in Melbourne delays flights on AFL Grand Final day — ABC News Australia

In Australia, bad weather in Melbourne caused delays and cancellations of flights from Brisbane on the day of the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final between the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle Dockers. As ABC News reports, the match is due to take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium in Melbourne.

Flight delays to Melbourne

Brisbane Airport said the cause of the air travel disruptions was the weather in Melbourne, rather than the situation in Brisbane itself. According to airport representative Peter Doherty, flights to Melbourne from Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth were delayed by about an hour.

In particular, a Virgin flight from Brisbane scheduled for 10:55 was cancelled. It was due to arrive in Melbourne at 13:20 — about an hour before the start of the game. A Lions supporter named Daniel told ABC Radio Brisbane that the flight he was to take with his eight-year-old son was also delayed.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Rainy weather for the match

Cold and rainy weather was forecast in Melbourne, with a maximum temperature of around 15 degrees. A cold southerly wind could lower the apparent temperature to slightly above 10 degrees, while thunderstorms were also possible in the morning.

The weather service forecast up to 9 mm of rainfall. That amount of rain would match the total recorded during the wettest AFL Grand Final in 2002, while more precipitation would set a new record. Despite the rain, a large crowd of fans had already gathered near the MCG in the morning.

A match of historic significance

The Brisbane Lions will take to the field at full strength after Lachie Neale won his appeal on Thursday. The team is seeking to win another consecutive title, while the Fremantle Dockers will try to claim their first AFL title. For Fremantle, this is its first Grand Final since 2013.