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Australian airports are experiencing their busiest day in two years as thousands of people fly around the country for the Easter long weekend amid chronic staff shortages.

Passengers are being asked to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights as Sydney Airport contends with about 82,000 passengers on Thursday, following a week of long queues caused by reduced staff numbers and rusty passengers.

Almost 60,000 passengers are expected to use Brisbane Airport on Thursday, while Melbourne will handle 76,000 a day over the Easter period.

Adelaide is anticipating 25,000 on Thursday and again on Friday.

Easter Monday will be Hobart's busiest-ever day for flights, with more than 81 planes coming and going.

While long queues are likely to increase travel stress, passengers have been reminded of the importance of keeping calm.

"Bad behaviour on an aircraft can put safety at risk," Civil Aviation Safety Authority CEO Pip Spence said.

"It can ... cause distractions during critical phases of flight and jeopardise the safety of other passengers."

Penalties for unruly behaviour can include up to two years in prison, and fines of $1100.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was delighted to see the tourism industry bouncing back, but said people should also expect some travel congestion.

"These are days we were looking forward to during this pandemic," Mr Morrison said.

"There are going to be some setbacks as the staff come back in, as the system is built up again.

"I'd just ask people to show some patience. I know it is frustrating and I know the airlines and everybody is doing everything they can to turn that around."

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who holds the transport portfolio, said the government was committed to tackling airport congestion.

"I look today and I see the crowding at Sydney airport, and it's understandable," Mr Joyce said.

"We've got five million people that live in the (Sydney) basin and there's issues there."

The government intended to spend $55 million at Newcastle Airport to increase international flight capacity, he said.

Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said after two years of COVID-19 related disruptions, the surge in holiday bookings was welcome.

"The pent-up demand created by the Omicron outbreak ruining the Christmas and summer holiday plans of many ... is also helping to drive the travel rush," she said.

Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said baggage handlers, ground staff and security workers were under incredible pressure.

Many of those workers lost their jobs at the start of pandemic lockdowns as they did not qualify for federal government JobKeeper payments because they were employed by foreign companies.

"That's the underlying reason that we're seeing the staff shortages that are leading to this kind of day, with catastrophic scenes at our airport (in Sydney)," Mr Kaine told the ABC on Thursday.

"Those 2000 workers are ready, willing and able to come back to work but Qantas is not putting them back on, and now we're seeing this panicked response," he said.

The union is calling for an independent commission to address what it described as long-term issues in the industry.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi urged travellers to be patient, adding the pandemic led to thousands of highly skilled workers being stood down or made redundant.

"Airlines and their suppliers are now scaling up their workforce but given the safety-critical nature of the jobs they do, recruitment and re-training can take time," he said.

© AAP 2022

The foster mother of missing boy William Tyrrell has been charged with lying to the NSW Crime Commission.

The 56-year-old woman has been ordered to appear in court by Strike Force detectives who allege she knowingly lied in a hearing, NSW Police told AAP on Thursday.

"On Tuesday 12 April, Strike Force Rosann detectives issued a future court attendance notice to a 56-year-old woman for knowingly giving false or misleading evidence at a hearing," NSW Police said in a statement.

"She remains before the courts.

"Investigations under Strike Force Rosann are continuing."

The charges relate to evidence the foster mother gave at a hearing before the NSW Crime Commission, and are not related to the operations of NSW Police.

The foster mother will appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on May 24.

William Tyrrell was three when he disappeared from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast in 2014.

In a separate case, the foster mother and foster father were charged with one count of common assault against a child last November.

The charge did not relate to William.

Evidence related to the prosecution of the parents has not been published under a gag order seeking to protect the administration of justice.

The identities of the foster parents and the child that is the subject of the charge cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

Lawyers representing the parents entered a not guilty plea in December.

© AAP 2022

Australian airports are experiencing their busiest day in two years as thousands of people fly out for the Easter long weekend amid chronic staff shortages.

Passengers are being asked to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights, with Sydney Airport saying about 82,000 passengers will need to get through security gates and check-in counters.

The airport has been under pressure for a week from staff shortages and absences because of COVID-19 infections, resulting in long check-in queues.

"I know it's a difficult message to hear but Thursday is going to be another tough day for travellers, and I want to apologise in advance to anyone who is inconvenienced," Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said.

Other airports are also under increasing strain over the school holiday period with consecutive long weekends for Easter and Anzac Day.

Nearly one million travellers are expected to pass through Sydney Airport, which is Australia's biggest domestic and international travel hub.

Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said after two years of constant disruptions to peak holiday periods from lockdowns and border restrictions, the surge in holiday bookings this Easter was welcome.

"The pent-up demand created by the Omicron outbreak ruining the Christmas and summer holiday plans of many ... is also helping to drive the travel rush," she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there would be "some congestion issues along the way" as more airport ground staff were recruited.

"I'd just ask people to show some patience," he told reporters in Tasmania.

"I know it is frustrating and know the airlines and everybody is doing everything they can to turn that around," he said.

Transport Workers Union National Secretary Michael Caine said baggage handlers, ground staff and security workers were under incredible pressure.

Many of those workers lost their jobs at the start of pandemic lockdowns as they did not qualify for federal government JobKeeper payments because they were employed by foreign companies.

"That's the underlying reason that we're seeing the staff shortages that are leading to this kind of day, with catastrophic scenes at our airport (in Sydney)," he told the ABC on Thursday.

While he acknowledged absenteeism due to the virus was a factor, Mr Caine blamed the Morrison government for denying JobKeeper payments to most airport workers.

He also blamed airlines for outsourcing the jobs of ground staff, like baggage handlers and security workers, to foreign companies in the first place.

"Those 2000 workers are ready, willing and able to come back to work but Qantas is not putting them back on, and now we're seeing this panicked response," Mr Caine said.

It was hard to attract workers back into the aviation industry because of "a degradation of terms and conditions ... so there really is a problem", he added.

The union is calling for an independent commission to address the long term issues in the industry.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi urged travellers to be patient as the aviation industry adjusts to flights picking up again following a nationwide relaxation of coronavirus social restrictions and border closures.

"COVID-19 decimated airlines and airports and resulted in thousands of highly skilled workers being stood down or made redundant," he said.

"Airlines and their suppliers are now scaling up their workforce but given the safety-critical nature of the jobs they do, recruitment and re-training can take time".

Melbourne Airport is forecast to see around 380,000 people go through over the next five days.

Adelaide Airport expects 25,000 travellers to enter its recently expanded terminal on Thursday and a similar number on Friday.

Brisbane Airport expects around 50,000 passengers.

© AAP 2022