Stranded Malaysia Airlines passengers on way to Kuala Lumpur face 47-hour delay in Auckland

A "technical problem" on a Malaysia Airlines plane has forced a nearly 50-hour delay for passengers stuck on the ground in Auckland.

A "technical problem" on a Malaysia Airlines plane has forced a nearly 50-hour delay for passengers stuck on the ground in Auckland.

Flight MH132 was originally scheduled to depart from Auckland at 12.55am yesterday and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 6.45am the same day, but the airline said the flight had now been pushed back to a departure time of midnight tonight, arriving at Kuala Lumpur at 5.50am.

In a statement, the airline said the delay was "necessary due to the grounding of the A330-300 aircraft to address the technical problem".

The aircraft required immediate replacements of parts that were unavailable in New Zealand and Australia.

The delayed passengers had been given meal vouchers and the airline had been trying to arrange accommodation at nearby hotels.

Fairfax reported some stranded passengers had been forced to find their own accommodation but struggled as many hotels had been booked out by visitors staying in the city for Adele's concerts.

The airline said it "deeply regrets" any inconvenience that had been caused to customers.