Air New Zealand Cook Islands flight returns to Auckland after two aborted landings

An Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Rarotonga returned to Auckland yesterday after two failed attempts to land at Rarotonga International Airport.

according to New Zealand HeraldFlight NZ946 took off from Auckland International Airport at 9am yesterday for Rarotonga Airport. An Air New Zealand spokesperson told the Herald the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was unable to land at its destination due to crosswinds and returned to New Zealand yesterday afternoon.

The flight was due to land in Rarotonga at 2:40 p.m. It had almost completed the 3,005-kilometer journey, which normally takes three hours and 50 minutes if there are strong crosswinds.

According to a source on board, the pilot attempted to land the plane twice but was unable to do so safely and passengers were told the flight would be diverted to Samoa. However, the decision was later made to return to Auckland.

Air New Zealand’s head of flight operations Hugh Pearce said the flight was diverted due to crosswinds.

“Flight NZ946 from Auckland to Rarotonga was unable to land due to crosswinds at Rarotonga International Airport,” Pierce said yesterday.

“The flight was due to return to Auckland and as a result we regrettably had to cancel our return flight NZ945 from Rarotonga to Auckland.”

Air New Zealand hopes to have passengers and aircraft flying to Rarotonga again as soon as possible.

Mr Pearce said Air New Zealand understood weather disruptions could be “frustrating”, but the airline’s priority was the safety of its passengers and crew.

“We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding as our teams work to rebook them on the next available flight,” he said.

Crosswinds can make it difficult for pilots to control the aircraft when guiding it toward the runway for landing, often causing the aircraft to drift sideways.

There are many factors to consider when deciding whether a flight should continue on its route, divert to another airport, or return to its departure airport. Airlines often divert to another airport when encountering weather disruptions such as crosswinds.

– Anna Sargent/New Zealand Herald