Power cut at JFK Airport causes Trans-Pacific flight to turn back mid-journey
Date
2/19/2023 3:17:08 AM
(MENAFN) passengers of Air New Zealand Flight NZ2 were in for an unexpected and gruelling journey as the trans-Pacific flight from Auckland to New York was forced to turn back mid-journey. The flight should have landed at John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 1 on Thursday at 5.40 pm local time. However, a power cut affected operations and disrupted at least 135 flights. The power outage resulted in the Boeing 787 jet making a U-turn about halfway into its 14,000-kilometre journey over the Pacific Ocean, just south of Hawaii. It was the top-tracked flight on the Flightradar24 site, which monitors aircraft worldwide in real-time.
The airline issued a statement, saying that an electrical fire at Terminal 1 at JFK Airport caused the terminal's closure, forcing the flight back to Auckland. The statement explained that diverting to another US port would have meant the aircraft would remain on the ground for several days, affecting several other scheduled services and customers. Air New Zealand confirmed that they were working to rebook passengers on the next available flights.
This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. In January, an Emirates flight from Dubai to Auckland turned back due to flooding at the airport. The closure of Auckland airport, New Zealand's largest, triggered a significant operation by Air New Zealand to bring back over 9,000 customers from overseas. Passengers on the Korean Air Lines flight from Seoul to New York were also affected by the JFK power cut. The airline representative stated that the decision to turn back to Incheon was made when it became evident that a diversion was inevitable.
The passengers' experience of these difficulties must have been frustrating and exhausting. They landed back where they started in South Korea at 10:14 am on Friday after nearly 14 hours of travelling. These incidents highlight how unexpected situations can disrupt even the most well-planned and executed journeys.
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