Strong winds saw an Emirates A380 abort its landing at Christchurch Airport this afternoon.
Wigram local Mark Henwood was near the airport with a large group of plane spotters and captured the moment the world's largest passenger plane was forced to go around.
His footage shows the plane, which was arriving from Sydney, being pushed sideways in the severe winds before revving up its engines and rising into the air away from the runway.
"It took about an hour-and-a-half after it aborted the landing before it came into land from the other direction," Henwood told 1News.
He said at least two other flights before the A380 were forced to abort their landings due to severe wind.
"It's the windiest I have ever seen it down here," Henwood said.
Christchurch Airport confirmed the flight landed safely at 4.15pm. It had originally been scheduled to land around 2pm.
Flight data on FlightRadar24 shows the A380's path and the circling it did after the aborted landing.
It comes as severe winds in Canterbury have seen fire crews attend to fallen trees, downed power lines and vegetation fires across the region.
Brad Fast, an arborist at the scene, says his team will likely be doing work all night. (Source: 1News)
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said earlier today it was responding to a surge in 111 calls related to a severe wind warning from earlier this morning.
"By 1.45pm there were more than 25 responses underway to lifting roofs, fallen trees and downed powerlines from Leeston to Rangiora," the statement read.
"Crews are also responding to six vegetation fires from Ashburton to Ashley, fanned by the wind. In central Christchurch, crews were called to assist people in a car that was hit by a falling tree.
"Fire and Emergency advises people to avoid unnecessary road travel especially in high-sided vehicles like trucks and campervans, to tie down loose outdoor items like trampolines and ensure all previous fires have been properly extinguished. No new fires should be lit at this time."
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