New Zealand Hit By Heavy Rains and Forced to Close Airport For International Flights

This weekend, a large volume of rain hit the largest city in New Zealand. Auckland had several problems and disasters caused by this massive rainfall, including the fact that Auckland International Airport had to be closed.

This caused several different flights to be cancelled or forced to change their route.

The strangest case occurred on a flight that had taken off from Dubai, UAE. This particular flight was headed for Auckland and got the news in mid-air that it wouldn’t be able to land in New Zealand.

What Happened?

Emirates flight EK448 took off on Friday, February 3 from Dubai airport bound for New Zealand.

After about six hours of flight, the pilot got the news that Auckland airport was flooded out and he wouldn’t be able to land. At this point, he was forced to make a U-turn mid-flight return to Dubai airport.

Flight EK488 took off from Dubai on Friday, January 3, at 10:30 a.m. and landed again in Dubai on the evening of Saturday, January 4, around midnight.

New Zealand’s airport was one of the places hardest hit by heavy rain and had experienced very serious flooding, including on the runways.

Passengers were clearly extremely disappointed to have spent about 13 hours in an airplane to end up right back where they had left from.

Not the longest flight in the world anymore, but this Dubai-Auckland flight probably feels like it today. With Auckland Airport closed due to flooding, Emirates decided to return to Dubai. Looking about a 13.5 hour flight from Dubai to Dubai. https://t.co/nMvFA5Wa9y pic.twitter.com/kZy29zzlbu

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 27, 2023

A 13-Hour Flight To Nowhere

Authorities saw no other way out, other than the closure of the airport and suspension of activities until it could be reversed and the flooding could be controlled.

Officials said they were feeling useless and frustrated by the whole situation. Though they made it clear that, at the moment, it was necessary to put the life and safety of airport passengers above efficiency and scheduling.

Until the date of January 29, no international flights were permitted to arrive or leave Auckland.

The Current Situation Report

The damage is serious and real. It has also affected almost the entire structure of the airport. Because of this, the authorities have already stipulated a long time necessary to fix the damage.

Officials said this was the worst rain on record in years and that, unfortunately, it will take a while for life in Auckland to return to normal.

This 13-hour flight to nowhere!?

Subscribe to my channel on YouTube!https://t.co/JbSwjk5USu #Auckland #airport #flooding #Emirates #EK448 pic.twitter.com/kiUyEvuV8a

— Johan himself – Johan’s Travel (@johanstravel) February 2, 2023

New Zealand remains in a state of emergency and alert. After all, there is forecast of more heavy rains for this week. So far, four deaths have been reported, caused by severe
flooding.

Now, the entire local population needs to prepare in the midst of chaos for an even more tense week of rains that is about to arrive.

The alert has already been given to the entire region and people are preparing for the worst. Hopefully, the situation doesn’t get any worse than it already is.