A Qantas subsiduary airline has been fined for breaching Wellington International Airport's nightime curfew.
Jetconnect was fined $12,000 in Wellington District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to breaching curfew restrictions set out in Wellington City Council's district plan.
The flight was delayed in Sydney and the plane eventually landed in Wellington 17 minutes past a 30-minute grace period for disrupted flights, at 1.47am, Fairfax Media reported.
Though the airline argued the breach was because of factors beyond its control, the council said it was a deliberate, premeditated act that warranted prosecution.
The curfew was designed to protect the sleep patterns of residents and had to be actively enforced.
