About 300 passengers on an Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to Auckland spent more than four hours stuck on the tarmac at Ohakea air base yesterday morning after the Boeing 747-400 was diverted because of fog.
The aircraft landed at Ohakea, 29km northwest of Palmerston North, about 7.30am and did not take off again until 11.45am.
The passengers were not allowed off the plane because no border control and passport facilities had been set up for them.
A New Plymouth woman on the flight said cabin crew had advised passengers fog had closed the airport and a diversion was possible.
When told the plane was going to Ohakea, her neighbour asked, "Where's that?"
"I explained it was an air force base between Sanson and Bulls," the woman, who did not want to be named, said.
Passengers were told Wellington Airport's runway was not long enough and Christchurch was marginal.
The plane landed about 7.30am.
Although they couldn't get off the aircraft, the doors were open at both ends and the crew passed out food and drinks. After refuelling, the plane took off at 11.45am and arrived to sunshine in Auckland by 12.30pm.
Ohakea information officer Flight Sergeant Paul Stein said the air force has an agreement to take aircraft when Auckland and Christchurch are fogged because Ohakea has the third-longest runway in the country.
"If we couldn't do it, the only alternative is Australia."
He said such landings only happened two or three times a year.
Air New Zealand Palmerston North manager Ken Walker said the 300-odd passengers took the stopover well.
"They were all pretty tolerant and understanding, given the length of the delay," he said.
"They knew it was a weather problem and not our fault."
A 737 flying between Christchurch and Auckland was diverted to Ohakea to bring in replacement crew, as the pilot was at the end of his allotted flying time.
Mr Walker said the previous such diversion was in September 2001.
caption: An Air New Zealand 747-400 refuels at Ohakea Air Force base yesterday after being diverted from Auckland because of bad weather.
- NZPA
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