More flight cancellations reported amid omicron surge

(Gray News) - More than 3,000 flights have been canceled worldwide Tuesday mostly due to the omicron coronavirus variant surge, according to the tracking website Flightaware.

At least 1,200 canceled flights were within, into or out of the U.S.

More than 13,000 flights have been delayed globally, with nearly 7,000 delays reported in the U.S.

Airlines said staffing issues related to the resurgence of coronavirus was to blame for the ongoing cancellations. On Monday, bad weather in the western U.S. was also an issue.

Flight delays and cancellations have been common this year, the Associated Press reported, because airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed.

Carriers have struggled to hire this year, when air travel rebounded very quickly.

Copyright 2021 Gray Media Group. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource and Associated Press contributed to this report.