Passengers are today being rebooked on a Jetstar flight from Auckland to Dunedin after their previous service was forced to turn back after running into "significant turbulence".
The captain reported “strong wind fluctuations” – and decided to turn the plane around yesterday "as a precaution".
According to Flightradar24.com, the flight turned around over Christchurch at around 3.34pm.
In a statement to 1News, a Jetstar spokesperson said no injuries were reported, but “we appreciate this would have been unsettling for customers on board”.
"Aircraft are built to withstand adverse weather and turbulence, and our pilots and crew are highly trained to manage these situations."
An alternative flight was scheduled for passengers today, with overnight hotel accommodation provided.
“We sincerely thank everyone for their flexibility while we worked to get them on their way again as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Christchurch has been experiencing "unusually strong" northwesterly winds, known as Foehn winds, according to MetService – which has also seen a bump in temperatures across the region.
Yesterday, five large fires burned across the South Island — fanned by the strong winds.
A Jetstar flight also slid off the runway at Christchurch Airport on Friday morning.
A Jetstar spokesperson said the plane had "a steering issue" after it landed, causing it to "veer on the runway at low speed".
No passengers or crew were injured, and the aircraft was towed to the gate with all passengers safely disembarking.
Flights hitting turbulence have made headlines over recent months.
On Monday last week, 12 people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin overnight hit turbulence.
A Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence in late May, dropping 54m in just seconds.
Passengers were sent flying around the cabin, with dozens needing to be treated for serious injuries. A 73-year-old man died of a suspected heart attack during the chaos.
The plane was travelling from London to Singapore and was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.
In April, a LATAM flight to Auckland experienced a sudden 121m drop, that left approximately 50 people injured, including crew, with 10 people taken to hospital, according to figures from March 11.
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