Wheels up on Jetstar flight JQ202 to Sydney this morning marked the return of international passenger travel at Auckland Airport after serious flooding impacted flight operations.
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The flight, with 186 passengers onboard, headed across the Tasman just before 7am – not long after its scheduled departure time. It will be the first of 41 international flights to depart Auckland Airport today. JQ202 was shortly followed by the first arrival, the Air New Zealand flight NZ5 from Los Angeles touching down at 7:20am – one of 41 international arrivals expected to land today.
“Alongside the safety and welfare of people, our goal throughout has been to get travellers reconnected and help them get where they need to be. The team at Auckland Airport is so pleased to see people at the terminal starting to get on their way again today and put what has been a really challenging experience behind them,” said Carrie Hurihanganui, Auckland Airport Chief Executive.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the 100-plus volunteers from our team at Auckland Airport over the past 37 hours, many of whom at been at the terminal around the clock to support travellers, even when they were facing their own challenges around flooding at home,” she said.
“For people travelling internationally, we want to let them know that some airport processes may take longer than normal as we restart international travel, so we just ask for travellers’ patience and understanding as we gradually get back up to speed.
“With the disruption to flight schedules, it may also take airlines several days to rebook passengers. Anyone travelling in the next few days who has questions about the impact to their travel plans should talk to their airline or travel agent. Rest-assured, we’re all working together as an airport community to get everyone where they need to be over the coming days.” ■