Aussie Christmas flight chaos as largest flood ever strikes Far North Queensland with the airport closing

Thousands of Aussies have had their Christmas travel plans thrown into chaos after a major airport was forced to close due to flooding levels not seen in 45 years.

Cairns Airport has closed for the second time in four days after more than 600mm of rain drenched far north Queensland in the aftermath of ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper.

The popular holiday hotspot is now 'an island' with roads cut off by floodwaters and hundreds of residents and tourists forced to evacuate.

Cairns Airport remains closed on Monday morning with the situation to be assessed later that day. 

'Cairns is like an island,' Tropical Far North Queensland Tourism CEO, Mark Olsen told the Today show.

'Yesterday was definitely one for the history books, with record rainfall up in the catchment.'

More to come