Fog delays flights, slows traffic in Auckland

Heavy fog has delayed flights in and out of Auckland airport and slowed peak hour-traffic on Auckland roads and motorways.


By 9am six international flights had been diverted, three to Wellington and three to Christchurch as the fog in the city began to disperse.
No domestic flights had taken off or landed by 9am.


Three international flights were diverted to Christchurch and one went to Wellington but all four were expected to return to Auckland when the fog lifted later in the morning.

Auckland International Airport spokesman, Haldane Dodd said departures were also delayed but on most long-haul international flights the delay could be made up during the flight.

"It is quite thick out there. Nothing is moving at this stage," Mr Dodd said.

The airport had a person sitting alongside the runway monitoring the fog density and relaying the information to air traffic control.

"Landing is more difficult than taking off. You don't need as much visibility to be able to take off than you do to land although we aren't taking off at the moment so it is pretty thick," Mr Dodd said.

The fog was widespread from the North Shore to Parnell and south of the city.

The fog also caused problems at the airport and on the city roads yesterday before it burned off about 10am.

Three people were critically hurt in separate road accidents in heavy fog within 40 minutes of each other soon after 4am today.

Peak hour traffic in and out of Devonport on the North Shore was delayed when a car rolled in heavy fog on Lake Road. The road was closed and traffic was diverted about 5am. A critically hurt person was cut out of the car after it hit a power pole and police said there were worries about his condition.

In another serious road crash just before 5am one person was critically hurt in a head-on, two-car crash on the north western motorway. That crash also happened in heavy fog.

The first critical crash of the morning was at 4.20am in Bairds Road, Middlemore when a truck and a car collided. The car driver was reported to be seriously hurt.

Police said driving in fog always caused problems and Inspector Barry Smalley appealed to drivers to have their headlights on dip, turn their windscreen wipers on and maintain a good stopping distance.

- NZPA