AER LINGUS HAS cancelled five European flights due to lack of resources, as airlines scrap thousands of departures around the world due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

In a statement to The Journal, the Irish airline said: “Due to resource availability challenges Aer Lingus is consolidating five European round trips (four on Monday 27th December and one on Tuesday 28th December).”

Aer Lingus is communicating directly with customers impacted by the cancellations.

“The Aer Lingus team is working to minimise impact on customers and providing same-day alternative flight options. Like other airlines and industries globally, Aer Lingus continues to monitor and respond to this fluid situation.”

As the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to spread, thousands of flights were cancelled around the world over the Christmas weekend. Multiple airlines have said that Omicron spikes caused staffing shortages.

Additionally, US authorities are monitoring dozens of cruise ships hit by Covid-19 cases, with several reportedly denied port in the Caribbean.

Over 60 vessels were under observation after “reported cases of Covid-19 have met the threshold for CDC investigation,” the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Earlier this week, 55 people on the Odyssey of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, tested positive for Covid-19 which spread among passengers and crew members despite 95 percent of people on board being vaccinated, the company said.

Another ship, the Carnival Freedom, was turned away from the Caribbean island of Bonaire, the Washington Post reported.

In a statement to AFP, Carnival confirmed that “a small number on board were isolated due to a positive Covid test.”

– with reporting from AFP