Two days of incessant rain and high winds have caused havoc at Cairns International Airport, having a huge impact on the number of inbound tourists to the area.

Helen Laird, Communications Advisor at Cairns Airport, said the affects of the unusually inclement weather has been compounded by a planned upgrade to the airport's tracking systems.


"We had planned an upgrade to the Instrument Landing Systems for the dry season," she said.


Planes have been diverted to Townsville and back to Melbourne, with 22 inbound flights in two days being affected.


"12 incoming flights were diverted yesterday and another ten this morning, and this has resulted in delays and cancellations of flights going out because the planes aren't here," she said.


This is another blow to a tourism industry already hard hit by economic uncertainty and the continued struggle with southern media outlets to accurately report weather events in northern Queensland.