Air New Zealand Cancels Nearly 100 Flights Due To 'weather Disruptions'

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Heavy rains have grounded more than 100 domestic flights due to bad weather and technical issues.
800,000 people are expected to fly during the school holidays, but 52,000 will be affected by flight cancellations this weekend.
Difficult flight conditions cause widespread disruption. Air New Zealand is urging passengers to be patient and prioritize safety.

Heavy rain has disrupted many travel plans as severe weather has continued across New Zealand over the past few days. What hasn’t helped is that demand for travel is surging this weekend, which marks the end of New Zealand’s academic year and the start of the first term break.

More than 100 domestic flights were canceled across the Air New Zealand network on Sunday. Rhian Geraghty, the airline’s chief experience officer, said: Most cancellations Bad weather and engineering problems were to blame.

According to data from flight aware, Air New Zealand had 44% (177) of its flights delayed on Friday. His three busiest ports (Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington) bore the brunt of these disruptions. This is not surprising considering that most domestic flight operations depart from or arrive at one of these airports.

Inside the cockpit of an Airbus A350 with a weather map displayed.

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School holidays add even more pressure.

With many young New Zealanders currently on school holidays, the airline is already predicting around 800,000 people will take to the plane in the coming weeks, with popular destinations including Auckland, Queenstown and Christchurch. is at the top of the list. However, those with boarding passes for this weekend’s trip may have had their itineraries significantly shortened.According to New Zealand media thing790,000 passengers have booked travel with the airline over the next two weeks, including 2,000 unaccompanied minors and 250 pets.

More than 500,000 people are expected to travel domestically this season, with 271,000 dusting off their passports for international trips to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles, which are at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists. You will have to pay 52,000 people were due to fly on Air New Zealand on Friday 12th April alone, but given the terrible weather New Zealand has seen in recent days, airlines and airports have asked all passengers to confirm their travel details. We encouraged them to check and make sure they arrived. There is plenty of time before the flight.

Photo: Aaron Bailey | Simple Flight

Auckland Airport said 160,000 people were expected to pass through the terminal doors last weekend. However, the busiest day for international arrivals will be April 28, the last day of the holiday. Due to solid demand, flight load factors are expected to be good.Auckland airport Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officerhighlighted that demand for its services remains high, with flight operations from the country’s busiest airport still 15% lower than before the pandemic.

harsh flight conditions

Air New Zealand chief safety officer and captain David Morgan said the current weather was presenting “difficult flying conditions” for many pilots across the country, causing widespread disruption across the airline’s network. he pointed out.

Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200 | ZK-OAB

Mr Morgan cautioned passengers to be patient. 1 news He thanked airlines for their understanding as they dealt with the weather.

“We understand the inconvenience these weather disruptions may cause, but the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”