Australians forced to sleep on floors of Japanese airports

An Australian family are among thousands forced to sleep in Japanese airport terminals after a massive snowstorm smashed the country.

The Lombardos were waiting to fly home to Sydney from Tokyo Airport on Monday evening when the blizzard hit, initially confining them to their seats on-board their plane for five hours before they were forced to exit.

They were told accommodation would be arranged for them, but instead they and thousands of others were ushered into the terminals and abandoned, only supplied with sleeping bags, water and crackers. 

‘The airport made no efforts to accommodate the thousands of stranded passengers,’ Nick Lombardo told Seven.

‘People were just sleeping wherever they could find a spot. There’s a bunch of disabled people that have told to go to a certain spot and then they’ve just been left there.’

An Australian family are among thousands forced to sleep in Japanese airport terminals after a massive snowstorm smashed the country

Instructions and updates on flights and conditions were regularly read out in Japanese, but never in English, so most people were unaware of progress or changes

'The airport made no efforts to accommodate the thousands of stranded passengers,' Nick Lombardo (pictured) said

‘The airport made no efforts to accommodate the thousands of stranded passengers,’ Nick Lombardo (pictured) said

More than 250 international flights were cancelled out of Tokyo alone after the city was covered in some areas with more than 20 centimetres of snow.

The downtown area of the capital city was blanketed by an astonishing 23 centimetres.

Passengers complained of a total lack of food and monstrous lines to apply for insurance certificate.

Instructions and updates on flights and conditions were regularly read out in Japanese, but never in English, so most people were unaware of progress or changes.

Nick Lombardo said he was forced to stay up through the night to protect the family’s bags, that his sick father was forced to wait hours in line to find help and the family have since been forced to head two hours back into the city for a night’s accommodation before flying home Wednesday.

More than 250 international flights were cancelled out of Tokyo alone after the city was covered in some areas with more than 20 centimetres of snow

More than 250 international flights were cancelled out of Tokyo alone after the city was covered in some areas with more than 20 centimetres of snow

Many more Australians have been experiencing similar ordeals north of Tokyo in the popular snow town of Niseko, with flights unable to operate out of the remote part of the country due to the mass snowfall

Many more Australians have been experiencing similar ordeals north of Tokyo in the popular snow town of Niseko, with flights unable to operate out of the remote part of the country due to the mass snowfall

The downtown area of Tokyo was blanketed by an astonishing 23 centimetres

The downtown area of Tokyo was blanketed by an astonishing 23 centimetres

A New Zealand family were stuck on their plane for longer than seven hours and after being told to disembark, the Air New Zealand manager refused to speak to anyone despite the cries of a ‘full plane load of disgruntled passengers’.

‘Information has not been forthcoming from our national carrier. No representative has been to talk to us and people are being given conflicting information,’ Jude Hoolihan told the New Zealand Herald.

‘People with no English are receiving updates in a language they don’t understand. People are angry about our treatment. There is no food available.’Very frustrating,’ she added.

Many more Australians have been experiencing similar ordeals north of Tokyo in the popular snow town of Niseko, with flights unable to operate out of the remote part of the country due to the mass snowfall.

An Australian mother Sally Quinn and her son have been stranded at the tiny airport, both very unwell.

‘This is the last thing we need,’ she said.     



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