More than 2,000 flights canceled after Hurricane Ian hits Florida

Airlines canceled more than 2,000 US flights for Thursday after Hurricane Ian hit Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force in one of the most powerful US storms in recent years.

The hurricane has caused a lot of disruption to US air travel, especially in the southeast United States. More than 5,000 flights have been cancelled through Friday due to the cancellations of more than 5,000 flights.

Airlines canceled 2,163 flights Wednesday as several Florida airports temporarily halted operations, including Tampa, Orlando, Sarasota-Bradenton, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Naples and St Petersburg Clearwater.

Airline tracking website Flightaware said 1,935 flights for Thursday had been canceled and 738 Friday flights were scrapped. The airlines canceled 403 flights Tuesday ahead of the storm.

The Orlando airport said it expects to resume commercial operations sometime on Friday. The Tampa airport said it will be closed at least Thursday.

Walt Disney said on Tuesday it would close its Orlando theme parks on Wednesday and Thursday.

Florida is a major part of US aviation, and some airlines like JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines expect to have 40% or more daily flights to touch a Florida airport.

Through Wednesday, JetBlue canceled 25% of its US flights and 20% of Thursday flights, while Southwest canceled 13% of Wednesday flights and 9% for Thursday. Another 3,106 US flights were delayed on Wednesday.

Passengers impacted by the hurricane can rebook tickets without charge, because airlines offered waivers.