Whakaari/White Island has sent ash in the general direction of some flights. Photo / Earth Sciences New Zealand, File
Some flights out of Tauranga have been cancelled because of ash from the Whakaari/White Island volcano.
Air New Zealand told the Herald it cancelled 19 services in and out of Tauranga this morning with the ash cloud impacting the flight path.
Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said the airline would reassess conditions early this afternoon.
It would resume flying as soon as it was safe to operate in and out of Tauranga, McGraw said.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our priority, and we are closely monitoring the situation.”
He said affected customers would be rebooked on the next available service to help them reach their final destination safely.
“We recommend customers check the Air New Zealand app or website for the latest updates on their flight.”
Tauranga Airport’s website earlier today showed five arrivals were cancelled.
They included NZ5806 from Christchurch at 10.55am, NZ5133/SQ4425 at noon from Auckland, NZ5260 from Wellington at 12.20pm, and NZ5147 from Auckland at 12.55pm.
The earlier flight NZ5264/QF8500 from Wellington at 10.10am was also cancelled.
It listed departures starting with NZ5255/QF8609 to Wellington at 11.10am as having been scratched.
NZ5803 to Christchurch at 11.55am, NZ5244/SQ4428 to Auckland at 12.30pm, and NZ5259 to Wellington at 12.50pm were also cancelled.
So was NZ5136/QF8522 at 1.25pm to Auckland.
The Tauranga Airport site initially said flights after 3pm were not affected but that was later updated.
Flights leaving Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland at 3pm, 3.35pm and 4pm respectively were cancelled.
So were departures to Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland at 3.30pm, 4.05pm and 4.30pm respectively.
Staff at Tauranga Airport were working to rebook passengers, arrange new flights, and, in some cases, put people on buses to Auckland.
Traveller Dave Campbell was meant to fly to Christchurch but will now go by bus to Auckland to catch another flight.
A volunteer at the airport said when he arrived this morning only two flights had been cancelled, but soon after all remaining flights were called off.
Andrew Clarke, who had been in Ōhope for the Surf Nationals, said he would miss his flight home to Perth.
“A little bit annoying but you just have to get on with it,” he told the Bay of Plenty Times.
Mike and Diane Proctor said they would now miss their connecting flight to England after their flight to Auckland was cancelled.
At 11.30am, GeoNet described “moderate to heightened volcanic unrest” on the island.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre detected a low-level ash emission from Whakaari/White Island.
The CAA said an ash cloud was reportedly observed near Mōtītī Island, 11km off the mainland near Tauranga yesterday afternoon, as was light ashfall on some aircraft at Tauranga.
“MetService has issued volcanic ash advisory information for the aviation system, and the forecast for Tauranga includes a temporary volcanic ash reference,“ a CAA spokesperson said this afternoon.
The CAA said the aviation system had well‑established processes for managing volcanic ash risk.
It said airlines, air traffic controllers Airways NZ, the CAA, Earth Sciences New Zealand, MetService and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) played different roles to ensure aviation safety.
For example, on March 8, Airways NZ issued a notice to airmen (Notam) through the aeronautical information system, expanding restrictions around Whakaari to 8 nautical miles (14.8km).
The CAA said the Notam service provided awareness of safety hazards to inform airline decision-making.
Airlines made their own operational decisions about resuming flights, the CAA said.
WeatherWatch said Tauranga at about 11.30am had a southwesterly wind, which would put it in the path of ash from the volcanic island.
The Wellington VAAC said an eruption had caused a “low-level steam and gas plume”.
A plume was seen on webcam footage but cloud was obscuring satellite images, the advisory said.
The VAAC said a pilot reported a plume moving towards Tauranga Airport this morning.
The plume had been drifting from the island mostly to the southwest.
Air New Zealand cancelled 38 flights in November last year because of ash from the island.
The CAA said in a 2024 paper the main volcano-related hazard for aviation was volcanic ash.
And volcanic gases could pose a health hazard to aircraft occupants as well as having corrosive effects on aircraft components, the CAA said.
“The magnitude of the risk has increased due to the enhanced technology of aircraft and engines,” the CAA said.
“However, risk and consequence will not necessarily continue to increase with the growth of air traffic, as volcanic ash information detection and forecasting systems become more accurate.”
– Additional reporting: Samantha Motion, Bay of Plenty Times
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.