Several international flights bound for Auckland were forced to turn around or be diverted yesterday, as Cyclone Gabrielle's fury saw the city's airport close due to high winds.
LATAM flight LA800, scheduled to fly from Sydney to Santiago, Chile via Auckland, was forced to return to its departure port after circling above Auckland for 20 minutes shortly after 5pm yesterday. The 787-9 Dreamliner arrived back in Sydney nearly six hours after departing.
It was not the only one. Air New Zealand 104 and Qantas 145 both returned to Sydney shortly after takeoff as Auckland Airport suspended all flights yesterday afternoon.
Passengers aboard Singapore Airlines 281 spent nearly nine hours in the air flying in a loop, turning around just before Darwin and heading back to Singapore's Changi Airport.
Air New Zealand 124 from Melbourne was also forced to return to base, as was China Airlines 53 from Brisbane.
In the Pacific, Air New Zealand 945 from Rarotonga and Fiji Airways 413 from Nadi were both forced to turn around, while Hawaiian Airlines 445 diverted to Sydney after passing over Auckland shortly after 9pm.
Scheduled flights in and out of Auckland resumed this morning, but the airport warned it could take a couple of days for schedules to get back to normal, especially flights to and from regions that had been significantly impacted by flooding.
"To help airline staff work through the backlog of travellers, we ask only those that have a confirmed flight come to the airport," chief customer officer Scott Tasker said in a statement today.
"And while it looks like the worst of the weather is behind us, it is still possible there will be short-notice flight delays or airline cancellations, so please keep a close eye on updates from your airline or travel agent."
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