Auckland Airport has experienced extreme delays and flight cancellations this morning due to fog. The airport is encouraging all travellers to stay up to date with information through their respective airlines.
Fog impacts flight schedule at Auckland Airport
The fog saw the cancellation of 22 regional flights, mostly impacting the upper North Island. Restrictions have since been lifted. However, it is anticipated the day will continue to bring rescheduled, cancelled and delayed flights due to the obstruction.
Fog has the ability to impact the safety of a flight, depending on the level of technology the aircraft is built with. Many of the flights cancelled this morning were reported to have been turboprops, which are not designed to enable a pilot to have the appropriate visibility in extreme weather conditions.
Delays continue for New Zealand’s aviation
However, a statement has not been issued regarding whether fog was the only reason for the disruptions. As seen globally, currently, the aviation industry is tackling a crisis of consistent disturbances, with Auckland Airport not excluded from these occurrences.
Assessed out of 19 airlines, Air New Zealand has been ranked third for the most cancelled flights across the past three months. Contributing factors towards flight cancellations have included a shortage of labour due to illness and staff being laid-off during the pandemic, as well as severe weather.
The report was published by Bloomberg, using an assessment similar to Qantas Airways Ltd.
Greg Foran, Air New Zealand’s Chief Executive Officer has issued a statement regarding the airline’s performance.
“This certainly isn’t the experience we want our customers to be having with us and we know that every cancellation has an impact”
The past weekend saw Auckland Airport host a job fair in a bid to employ an additional 2,000 staff across different sectors. Although the aviation industry is predicted to still experience significant delays for months to come, it is hoped that additional staff will help prevent major delays and cancellations further.
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