The pilot of an Air New Zealand A320 aircraft carrying 153 passengers was forced to carry out a ''go-around'' when approaching Queenstown Airport yesterday to avoid a possible collision with a drone.
Air New Zealand flight NZ647 from Auckland landed about 10 minutes later than scheduled, at 4.35pm, without incident, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
But the CAA is hoping police will find the person responsible for flying what is believed to be a drone into the airport's controlled air space and lay the ''maximum charge they possibly can''.
Police were called to the Lake Hayes Estate subdivision at 3.50pm after a complaint from the Queenstown Airport control tower, of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), possibly a drone, being flown near the runway.
The Lake Hayes Estate, which borders the Kawarau River, is one of the flight paths for aircraft landing or leaving the international airport.