Some travellers were airside when the fire alarm went off at Auckland Airport's domestic terminal this morning, forcing them to remain on the tarmac. Photo / Georgie Smith
Some travellers were airside when the fire alarm went off at Auckland Airport's domestic terminal this morning, forcing them to remain on the tarmac. Photo / Georgie Smith
Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal has been evacuated, with passengers – including some already airside – sent outside and planes left stuck on the tarmac after a fire alarm went off.
The evacuation started just before 8am and passengers had since returned to the terminal, an Auckland Airport spokeswoman told theHerald in an emailed statement at 8.47am.
“The domestic terminal was evacuated for a short time just before 8am after a fire alarm was activated.
“Auckland Airport emergency services responded and the terminal was cleared for re-entry shortly afterwards. We thank passengers for their patience.”
Flights were now operating as usual, Air NZ chief operations officer Alex Marren said just before noon.
“There may be some minor delays throughout the day as we work to get our schedule back on track. We appreciate our customers’ patience and encourage them to check the Air NZ app for the latest updates.”
One passenger affected by the evacuation sent the Herald a photo of fellow travellers waiting on the tarmac between a boarding gate exit and plane.
Some passengers were airside when the fire alarm went off at Auckland Airport's domestic terminal this morning, forcing them to remain on the tarmac. Photo / Georgie Smith
Another said the airport was still evacuated when they arrived at 8.15am, and they then waited another 15 minutes to enter the terminal.
“There was plenty of ‘chaos’ for a wee while but then everything cleared pretty quickly”, Bruce Bradburn said in an email to the Herald.
“Our flight to Blenheim at 9.25 was delayed only by 30 minutes! So it has all cleared very quickly.”
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack pictured waiting outside Auckland Airport's domestic terminal, which was evacuated this morning after a fire alarm went off. Photo / X
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack was also among those affected, posting a video to X of people outside the terminal as alarms blared in the background.
“Fire Drill over – hopefully was just a drill! Now Airport chaos begins!” she wrote in a subsequent update.
