INTERNATIONAL: Nearly 8,000 flights globally were cancelled due to Omicron surge. Holiday travel headaches and safety worries have swelled Sunday with thousands of flights cancelled, events scrapped and new Omicron cases soaring, as people wrap up Christmas celebrations bruised by a resurgent Covid-19 pandemic.

In Southeast Asia, dozens of flights were cancelled on Monday at different airports, mainly in Bangkok and Jakarta, due to the new restrictions imposed to stop the spread of Omicron. According to FlightAware, more than 72 flights were cancelled on Monday at Soekarno-Hatta International airport in Jakarta.

Effects have rippled worldwide, and the hurt was expected to bleed into the work week, with some 800 flights already facing cancellations Monday and 170 more on Tuesday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The highly transmissible Omicron strain has sent new cases skyrocketing across the globe, with countries reviving dreaded lockdowns, major sports leagues cancelling Boxing Day football and rugby fixtures, and cruise ships returning to port with Covid-infected passengers.

In China's Xi'an city, 13 million residents were confined to their homes Sunday amid tightened restrictions as the country recorded its biggest Covid-19 infection numbers in 21 months.