Air New Zealand NZ1 diverts to Rarotonga, Auckland Airport braces for cyclone Gabrielle

The last international flights touched down in Auckland Airport this morning ahead of a 30-hour weather shutdown and the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle.

NZ5 from Los Angeles was the last service to scrape in, ahead of the storm, arriving late at 6.30am.

The ultra-long-haul NZ1, which departed New York last night, made the decision to divert to the Cook Islands, instead of continuing on to Auckland.

Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran told RNZ this morning that the decision was made by the pilots of the aircraft.

Strong winds: NZ1 from New York diverted to the Cook Islands ahead of cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Rafael Ben-Ari, 123RF

Yesterday, the airline decided to cancel additional international and domestic services and extend a pause in operations at Auckland and some North Island airports until mid-Tuesday at the earliest.

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan announced the pause yesterday.

“We continue to do everything we can to minimise the impact on our schedule, however in preparation for strong fluctuating crosswinds, for the safety of our staff and customers, international arrivals and departures from tomorrow morning through till midday Tuesday will be extremely limited,” he said.

The crew of NZ1 from New York to Auckland decided to divert to Rarotonga, faced with cyclone winds. Photo / FlightRadar 24

Long haul flights already en route to Auckland may divert to alternate New Zealand airports, said the airline.

Five long-haul flights were cancelled and Pacific and transtasman flights will not be operating today into Auckland.

Some domestic network flights are also grounded, with flights from Northland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupō airports observing the pause until midday Tuesday.

Auckland Airport is only recently recovered from severe weather events.

During the earlier floods on January 27, the international terminal and runway were water damaged. There were dramatic scenes of flooded terminals as more than 9000 passengers were affected. Many were stuck overseas for days and around 2000 passengers were forced to shelter in the terminal.

The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) has for a safety investigation from the TAIC over the conditions during the floods.

The airport says it has had more warning ahead of Cyclone Gabrielle, but the situation was “rapidly evolving”.

Scott Tasker, chief customer officer at Auckland Airport, told passengers planning to travel this week to be aware that there may be disruption.

“Customers who are travelling today, tomorrow and Tuesday should be prepared for short-notice disruptions to travel plans. Our advice is to please monitor your email for any messages from airlines and travel agents about delayed or disrupted flights, along with your travel app for flight updates.”

There is live information on arrivals and departures on the airport website but “airlines will always hold the most up-to-date information on how the weather is affecting flight schedules”.

Advice to Auckland passengers this week

Auckland Airport advises passengers who still plan to travel this week to check with their airline or travel provider before leaving for the airport.

The airport’s parking and onsite catering would remain open. However, travellers with flights should visit the Waka Kotahi or AT websites for route information before departing for the airport.

Air New Zealand has asked all passengers with non-urgent travel between today and Friday, February 17, to reconsider travel and make use of the flexible fares policy.

Passengers with flights next week can either cancel and hold the fare value in credit for 12 months or change to another flight before Wednesday, February 22, without penalty fees.

Call centre wait times are up to three hours. If you can, the airline advises passengers to manage bookings online and visit the Travel Alerts webpage.