ALMOST 3000 passengers have had their travel plans thrown into chaos after poor weather resulted in their flights being diverted away from Sunshine Coast Airport.

Airport management confirmed yesterday that eight inbound flights were unable to land on Friday and Saturday because of low-level cloud.

The issue has been compounded by a lack of seats on alternative flights, and an unknown number of passengers have been left stranded.

The eight Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights had originated in either Sydney or Melbourne, with most planes diverted to Brisbane.

Airport general manager Peter Pallot, who was on one of the planes diverted to Brisbane, said flights throughout south-east Queensland were affected by low-level cloud on Friday and Saturday.

“We estimate that around 2800 people were disrupted on the Sunshine Coast alone … all of those people need to be accommodated and because of the high load factors, that’s presenting a number of challenges for the airlines,” Mr Pallot said.

“But I know the airlines are working very hard in the background to accommodate them as quickly as possible.”

Mr Pallot said airport management was working with Airservices Australia to develop new procedures aimed at preventing flight diversions during poor weather.