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Air New Zealand plans recovery flights for stranded passengers

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Air New Zealand plans recovery flights for stranded passengers

Air New Zealand is currently working overtime to return about 9,000 stranded passengers back home after hundreds of flights were cancelled post flooding in Auckland, five days ago.

On January 27, 2023, unseasonably large amounts of rainfall caused major flooding across Auckland, with flash floods bringing chaos for the travel sector, with roads being blocked and Auckland International Airport being forced to close, as terminal buildings were flooded.

According to NZ Herald, about 9,000 passengers are currently stranded while Singapore Airlines (SIA) is rushed to Air New Zealand’s aid in time of need. According to sources, SIA is planning to operate its A380 on the route instead of B777 allowing an additional 200 seats.

Leanne Geraghty, chief of customer and sales, Air New Zealand said while speaking to NZ Herald: “We also know there will be some customers whose rebooked flight is further out than they would have hoped. Our next phase of recovery is to work through our schedule and see how we can get them home on earlier services, where possible. We’re pulling all available levers to get customers on services as soon as possible. This includes working with alliance partners for them to use larger aircraft where possible and reworking our schedule to see where extra capacity can be added.”

Certain media reports have also stated that the airline is working to rebook its passengers stuck in Fiji and Japan, with an estimated 1,200 passengers in need of a reparation flight back home.