Photo: LDR / Stuff / Stephen Forbes
Flight disruptions following high winds in Auckland could take a couple of days to clear, Air New Zealand says.
High winds at Auckland Airport caused delays to departing and arriving flights on Sunday evening. Air New Zealand said 58 of its flights had been cancelled.
Auckland Airport said 63 domestic flights in total - to or from the terminal - were cancelled, as well as two international flights.
Passengers took to social media to report hours of delays in disembarking and retrieving baggage as the conditions forced ground crews to stand down.
One person described a four-hour delay on departing Wellington only to be held on the tarmac for over an hour on arriving in Auckland.
"We got delayed four hours in Welly and only just landed now. IM SO DONE. I'm still at the airport waiting for our baggage. I'm this close to murder."
Another said they were stuck on the Auckland tarmac for longer than their flight from Wellington had taken. They said people in the airport's crowded baggage area had been waiting more than two hours to get their bags.
Many travellers were still at Auckland Airport on Monday afternoon, anxiously waiting for their new flights.
A passenger was flying home to Hawke's Bay after a holiday in Brisbane, but was stranded in Auckland overnight.
"I flew in from Brisbane yesterday morning and my flight was delayed and then cancelled, so I was put up overnight... I was well looked after, they were very good," she said.
"I'm back here with a new seat on a booking that is currently delayed again because of wind, so fingers crossed I make it tonight.
"It's frustrating but also I don't want to fly in turbulent conditions either, so that's just what it is."
Another passenger said he was trapped on the tarmac for over an hour due to high winds.
"We were flying from Rarotonga to Auckland [on the way to Blenheim] and when it arrived there weren't any air bridges available, so they parked out on the tarmac," he explained.
"It was too windy to get any stairs or ramps for the passengers to disembark, so we were there for about an hour, or an hour and a half, until the wind abated and we were able to hop off the plane.
"I feel sorry for the crew who were on the plane, because they would have started about six in the morning flying to Rarotonga, then back to Auckland, and it wasn't until about half-past eight by the time they got off the plane to finish their shift."
Other travellers were making the most of their extra time in Auckland.
"We've had to fill in the whole day shopping," one couple said.
"It's just bad weather, you can't prevent it. It was just disappointing getting repeated postponements, but we suspected it would happen so we made arrangements at work."
Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said "many flights" were affected by the delays.
"Based on follow-on effect, we are repositioning aircraft and crew to resume normal operations over the next couple of days.
"Our airport and customer teams are working hard to get customers on to their final destinations as quickly as possible, and we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding."
On Monday morning, a spokesperson for Auckland Airport said safety concerns meant ground crews were unable to work in winds exceeding 74km/h.
They said the airport's terminals and airfield were now operating "as normal".
"We expect to see the terminals, particularly the domestic terminal, a little bit busier than normal as airline teams rebook travellers on disrupted flights. If you are travelling on Monday, please check for any updates from your airline."
High winds - with gusts of up to 115 km/h - battered the airport between 4.40 pm and 11 pm. The spokesperson said the conditions made it unsafe for staff to work during much of that period.
"The safety of aircraft and airport workers always come first, however the weather created delays for arriving and departing flights and the offboarding of passengers and bags," the spokesperson said.
Auckland Airport thanked customers for their patience.
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