Cheree Kinnear on the widespread chaos across Auckland this morning and frustrated travellers at Auckland Airport. Video / Jed Bradley
International flights in and out of Auckland will resume from noon tomorrow (Sunday), to allow infrastructure in the terminal to dry out and undergo safety checks.
Auckland Airport had earlier confirmed that there would be no international departures until 5am tomorrow and no arrivals until 7am tomorrow.
Air New Zealand has said that because of floodwater damage to processing technology at Auckland International Airport, the airline is unable to resume international flying out of Auckland until noon.
“It’s great news from Auckland Airport that the terminal will be open for flying from 5am tomorrow, but it’s unlikely we’ll be ready to restart departures after assessments today show significant damage to ticketing, baggage and processing equipment. We have teams working around the clock behind the scenes to continue to get these systems back up and running as soon as possible,” Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan said.
The airline will resume flying with “around three flights an hour”.
“For context, we usually operate around 13 baggage belts, but with the damage we could be down to as few as three. This is why we’ll slowly ramp up services as we gain greater confidence that we can deliver these services,” Morgan added.
An estimated 165 domestic and regional flights and 78 international flights have been cancelled up until midday tomorrow as a result of the flooding.
Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the airport had never been tested in this way after yesterday’s severe flooding.
“The flooding overnight has significantly impacted a number of critical components of our airport terminal infrastructure.
“We have been working with urgency today to try and get everything dry, tested and working again, but our assessment is we need more time to make sure it is all working well and more importantly, safely, before we resume international operations.”
Hurihanganui thanked passengers for their patience and apologised for the extraordinary disruption.
People now at the international terminal have been told to return home until they have details of their rescheduled flight.
Travellers have been encouraged to find Auckland-based accommodation with friends and family if possible.
The airport and airlines were working with public and private organisations to support stranded passengers, Hurihanganui said.
Domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed at midday today, but Air New Zealand warned its schedule could be disrupted for days as it works through a backlog of passengers.
According to Morgan, domestic customers who urgently needed to travel were the priority.
“We’re working on getting customers to their final destinations and getting our crew and aircraft back in the right place.
“It might take a few days to get everything back on track, and we thank our customers in advance for their patience and understanding during this challenging time.”
Customers needing to travel could rebook online or via the Air New Zealand app. Those who don’t have urgent travel were encouraged to make full use of the airline’s flexibility policies, Morgan said.
“We’re doing everything in our power to minimise the impact on our customers and get everyone to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.”
It’s been a long and challenging night at Auckland Airport, we thank everyone for ongoing patience. pic.twitter.com/coYg0h2rKh
This morning, a passenger at the international terminal reported chaos as hundreds of people were left with no way of getting home when flooding subsided.
The airport had also advised that because of earlier flooding in the baggage hall, checked luggage could not yet be returned to passengers. People have been told their airlines will make arrangements to return bags at a later time.
The passenger was among some of the first people to be released from the terminal early this morning after spending a long night stranded there.
They claimed hundreds of confused passengers were stranded because there were no public transport services or other means of transport.
But the airport said Park & Ride buses were operating at the domestic terminal by 4.30am and taxis and rideshares were also operating.
More than 2000 people stayed overnight at Auckland Airport terminals because of flooding.
Hurihanganui said most travellers who stayed overnight in international airside areas have moved back through border processing into the public areas of the terminal.
“It’s been a really long and challenging night. To travellers who were stranded inside the airport as the floods hit fast – we acknowledge the frustration and thank you for your co-operation with our staff as they worked to keep you safe as a first priority.”
Any passengers who needed to remain inside the terminal until they have made accommodation or travel arrangements were welcome to do so, Hurihanganui said.
Several international flights were cancelled at Auckland Airport this morning.
“We know with last night’s unprecedented weather event, there is widespread disruption across the city and it may take a while for people to get home. Food and beverage operations are open and staff assistance is available,” Hurihanganui said.
“Our teams, and those of our airport partners, continue to work around the clock to make sure we can get our domestic and international terminal operations open safely as soon as possible.”
Wellington Airport said the extreme weather in Auckland has disrupted flights across the country.
“Most flights to and from Wellington are operating as scheduled - except to and from Auckland - but please check directly with your airline. Thank you to travellers for your patience.”
Christchurch Airport said it has received a significant number of diverted flights overnight.
“This means the airport is very busy - we have a lot of extra people here while airlines work with their passengers to accommodate their needs.
“Everyone is doing their best to manage the influx of passengers and we thank people for their patience and understanding in these extraordinary circumstances.”
