Air New Zealand Passengers Endure 16-Hour Ordeal Due to Power Cut at JFK Terminal
Date
2/19/2023 7:08:44 AM
(MENAFN) passengers boarding Air New Zealand Flight NZ2 on Thursday evening from Auckland to New York had no idea what was in store for them. What should have been a straightforward 14,000-kilometre journey across the Pacific Ocean turned into a 16-hour ordeal that took them back to their starting point.
The Boeing 787 jet was due to arrive at John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 1 at 5.40 pm local time. However, a power cut at the terminal threw operations into disarray, affecting more than 135 flights. The situation forced the airline to make a U-turn just south of Hawaii and return to Auckland, with the jet becoming the top-tracked flight on Flightradar24’s website, which monitors aircraft all over the world in real-time.
In a statement, Air New Zealand said, “Due to an electrical fire in Terminal 1 at JFK Airport and the terminal’s subsequent closure, NZ2 Auckland to New York was forced to divert back to Auckland. Diverting to another US port would have meant the aircraft would remain on the ground for several days, impacting a number of other scheduled services and customers.”
The carrier added that it was working to rebook passengers on the next available flights. However, this is not the first time Air New Zealand has faced such a situation. In January, an Emirates flight from Dubai to Auckland had to turn back due to flooding at its destination. The closure of Auckland airport, New Zealand's biggest, resulted in Air New Zealand conducting a significant operation to bring back over 9,000 customers from overseas.
In conclusion, the power cut at JFK Terminal 1 caused significant disruption to Air New Zealand Flight NZ2 and numerous other flights, forcing the airline to divert the flight back to Auckland.
The incident highlights the importance of having robust contingency plans in place to deal with unexpected situations in the aviation industry, which can cause major inconvenience to passengers and airlines alike.
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