Passengers at Auckland Airport this afternoon are suffering long waits in the queue.
Video / Supplied
Travellers at Auckland’s International Airport have faced hour-long waits this afternoon, with some making desperate dashes to departure gates fearing they will miss their flights.
One passenger told the Herald water was being handed out to those experiencing the long delays through the terminal departure area and staff also using motorised trolleys to rush people to waiting planes.
“No one is complaining much to be honest, I think we’re all just hoping our planes wait for us. People look really perplexed is how I would describe it,” they said.
Families with children were being fast tracked as the queues flowed.
Passengers are facing long delays through Auckland International Airport this afternoon, with fears they will miss their departing flights. Photo / Supplied
An employee told the passenger it was the worst queues they had seen.
“He said it was because of the rain, which had affected the arrivals.”
The passenger said their flight had been held for passengers who were late due to the long delays.
“My face is red and sweaty after a 23-minute dash from the customs hall to gate 18, the furthest gate, but I made it!
“Those little motorised trolleys were running hot, rushing people to the far away gates,” they said.
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark weighed in on the delays tonight on social media.
“Exactly the same last Sunday when I was there. Are there systemic issues to be addressed? Processes, Staff? Equipment? Space?”
An Auckland International Airport spokeswoman confirmed the delays.
“During the afternoon travel peak, there was a short period of congestion within Auckland Airport’s international terminal departures area. As is normal when it is busy, airport staff were assisting passengers and liaising with other airport teams to keep passenger flows moving smoothly. Congestion has now cleared.”
Another passenger said he experienced more delays earlier today.
“Well what do they expect when they only have three or four people working the passport control. We flew today on flight 950 to Fiji at 6.15 this morning and the queues were getting long then. Not enough people working. So slow.”
Passenger Dr Michelle Dickinson, aka Nanogirl, told the Herald she waited in line for over an hour on December 4 and hundreds of people faced delays.
In a photo posted to X in December, Auckland Airport passengers were seen facing long delays in the international terminal. Photo / Dr Michelle Dickinson
“Hundreds were in the queue. Lots of them [were] visibly and verbally stressed as they could hear their flights were boarding and they were still stuck in the line,” she said.
Dickinson took to X, formerly Twitter, to advise of the lengthy wait and voice her concern for elderly passengers who were stuck in the queue.
Well it took 45 minutes to queue to the green sign in the previous photo which took me to this line on my way to security at @AKL_Airport - I’m fine as a fit and healthy solo traveller, there are lots of families and elderly in this queue too - some of them are not so fine 😞 pic.twitter.com/Bp1nhcvElN
“I didn’t see any staff helping those who were older, although I did see some staff handing out bottle water to people at the back of the line,” she said.
Dickinson said passengers only received one announcement as they endured the long wait, saying it was due to “high passenger numbers”.
AvSec is a Government border agency run independently from Auckland Airport itself - which Auckland Airport has no authority over.
