Heavy Fog Disrupts Auckland Airport Flights

5 months ago Editor

Thick fog at Auckland Airport leads to 14 more flight cancellations, following an earlier disruption of 89 domestic flights. The foggy conditions also caused delays in the city’s transport system.

Auckland Airport has announced the cancellation of an additional 14 flights due to persistent heavy fog. This comes after an earlier wave of disruptions that saw 89 domestic flights either delayed or canceled overnight.

According to an airport spokesperson, 10 departing and 4 arriving domestic flights were canceled, with one arrival delayed. “Air New Zealand 457 to Wellington was among the canceled flights,” they reported. However, international flights remained unaffected by the fog.

The initial disruptions began when thick fog descended on Auckland overnight, prompting flight restrictions at approximately 3 a.m. These restrictions were lifted at 12:18 p.m., but not before causing significant delays and cancellations. The spokesperson detailed that 44 domestic flights were delayed and 45 were canceled during the fog’s peak.

MetService forecaster Lewis Ferris explained that a combination of low-angle winter sun, high cloud cover, and lack of wind created ideal conditions for the fog to linger. These weather conditions not only disrupted air travel but also had a significant impact on Auckland’s transport system.

Auckland Transport reported delays to several ferry services, including those to and from Bayswater, Hobsonville, Beach Haven, Gulf Harbour, Pine Harbour, and Birkenhead. Several sailings were either canceled or delayed by 30 minutes or more. A video from Hobsonville ferry terminal at 7:20 a.m. captured the dense fog obscuring visibility over the water.

Additionally, Auckland’s Southern Motorway experienced severe disruptions during the morning commute due to an unspecified “incident.” NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi noted that all northbound lanes were temporarily blocked between Cavendish Drive and East Tamaki Road.