The arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle has bought yet more travel disruption to passengers at New Zealand’s Auckland Airport (AKL), with Air New Zealand and countless other airlines forced to cancel flights as the North Island battles unrelenting extreme weather conditions.
Travellers Hit By Numerous Flight Cancellations
Beleaguered passengers travelling to and from Auckland Airport have been hit by yet more severe travel disruption, this time caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, following on from last month’s state of emergency.
On Monday, of the scheduled arrivals and departures, all 301 domestic services and 85/104 international flights were cancelled due to severe storm conditions brought about by the cyclone.
International cancellations included flights operated by Fiji Airways, American Airlines and Australia’s Qantas and Jetstar Airways.
Air New Zealand Curtails Its Domestic Services
Over the past few days, Cyclone conditions have caused the country’s flag carrier, Air New Zealand, to cancel numerous domestic and international flights.
The airline’s cancellations have affected domestic jet services to and from the airport, Tasman and Pacific Island flights and flights involving turboprop Bombardier Q300 and ATR aircraft.
In response to the disruption and to aid travellers, the airline has put measures in place, such as adding larger aircraft to its routes and additional services and converting cargo flights to passenger flights. In addition, passengers affected by Air New Zealand’s cancellations will be given the opportunity to change their flights without having to pay additional fees or charges. They can also retain the value of their bookings as credit for future flights.
Dependent on the forecast weather conditions, domestic and international flights are set to resume midday and mid-afternoon on Tuesday. Due to the evolving situation, passengers are advised to keep in contact with their flight operators in case of sudden changes to flight schedules.
Ramping Up Flood Provisions And Preparation
The airport has braced itself for further disruption over the next week with high-wind, high-rainfall storms set to continue to hit the North Island. Compared to the events in late January, where flooding severely disrupted airport operations, crosswinds and surface water on the runway are expected to be the dominating issues this time around.
Auckland Airport Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui has stated that the airport has made provisions should passengers become stranded at the airport, including blankets, food, water and essentials. Practical preparations have also been made in the form of sandbags, sucker trucks and pumps on hand should flooding occur.
At the weekend, Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer at Auckland Airport, advised travellers to anticipate short-notice disruption and for them to check for regular updates from their airlines.
Continued Travel Woes At Auckland Airport
Since the start of 2023, residents of the city of Auckland and the surrounding areas have faced unparalleled weather conditions, with the city’s airport being hit by severe flooding at the end of January.
During January’s disruption, the airport suffered damage to its runway lighting, international flights were temporarily suspended, and several planes were prevented from landing and were forced to return to their departure destinations. Passengers even shared astounding footage of the flood-hit airport on social media showing fellow travellers wading through dirty water and, in some cases, being forced to dispose of sodden shoes.
Calls For An Investigation Intensify
The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) has called upon the Transport Accident and Investigation Commission (TAIC) to launch an investigation to establish the rationale behind the airport’s decision to stay open during last month’s cataclysmic storm conditions.
To be included in the TAIC’s investigation is an incident in which Air New Zealand flight NZ124, which landed during the storm conditions, caused six runway landing lights to be damaged in addition to one of the aircraft’s tyres bursting upon landing. The incident led to the runway being closed temporarily. Following correspondence with the airport’s air traffic control staff at the time of the incident, TAIC President Andrew Ridling alluded to pressure from the airport’s management to quickly reopen the runway; air traffic control staff, on the other hand, for whom safety was the most important factor, felt that the runway should have remained closed.
The final report is expected to take around 18 months to complete, with the possibility of an interim report being released sooner should urgent safety warnings need to be issued.
Auckland Airport has strongly denied any suggestion that safety was not its number one priority, and the airport has stated that it will conduct its own post-incident review.
Have you been affected by the disruption at Auckland Airport? Let us know in the comments.
