Auckland airport flooded on Friday. Source: File
Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal re-opened for arrivals and departures at 12pm today following the airport’s closure on Friday caused by heavy rain and flooding.
Air New Zealand's chief operational integrity and safety officer, Captain David Morgan, says as the airline works to process the backlog of customers and flights the priority is to get domestic customers who need to travel urgently to where they need to go.
“International flights in and out of Auckland are more complex than domestic, with many parts of the aviation ecosystem needing to be ready as well. This includes airport security, systems to ticket and process customers, and biosecurity and baggage operations."
He says flooding has had a huge impact on the airline's Auckland operations.
"We're working on getting customers to their final destinations and getting our crew and aircraft back in the right place. It might take a few days to get everything back on track.”
International terminal to reopen at 5pm today
While Auckland Airport is scheduled to open its international terminal from 5pm today, Air New Zealand advises there is still a lot of work to do to assess whether flying its scheduled departures tonight is possible.
An update on the airline’s international flights will be made later today.
Advice for passengers
Morgan says customers needing to travel can rebook online or via the Air NZ app and those who do not have urgent travel are being encouraged to make full use of the airline's flexibility policies.
“We understand that many of our customers have been affected by this emergency and we want to assure them that we’re here to help,” says Morgan.
Customers can opt into credit via the app or website in the Manage Booking tab, by selecting Request a Credit. They can also use the app or website to change their flights to another date and have their change fee waived, though a fare difference may apply.