News

‘No touch-down’: Emirates flight forced to u-turn due to weather

A New Zealand-bound Emirates flight was forced to make a u-turn halfway through its journey due to heavy rains and flooding in Auckland.

The Emirates flight was forced to return to Dubai. Photo: canva

Emirates flight forced to ‘fly on’

Passengers on an Emirates flight from Dubai to New Zealand had to endure around 13 hours in the air, only to end up right where they’d started.

As reported by Business Insider, the New Zealand-bound flight EK448 departed Dubai International Airport at around 10:30 on Friday, 27 January, but had to quickly do a u-turn almost halfway through its 14 200 km journey because of heavy rains and major flooding in Auckland, New Zealand.

The flight landed back in Dubai shortly after midnight, flight data revealed.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to customers. Emirates will continue to monitor the situation in Auckland and issue updates where required.” a spokesperson for Emirates told Business Insider.

ALSO READ: More flights from Emirates to three South African cities

ALSO READ: Emirates will now operate A380 Premium Economy on FIVE routes

ALSO READ: Sitting Pretty: Emirates offers new Premium Economy

Bad weather

Inclement weather in New Zealand caused Auckland International Airport to shut its domestic and international terminals on Friday, after heavy rain caused serious chaos and triggered a local state of emergency.

The weather also severly hindered local travel in Auckland and saw more than 2 000 people staying overnight within the airport terminals due to the flooding, Auckland Airport reported.

Auckland airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said that it had been a consequential event for them.

“This has been a significant event that has put our city into a state of emergency, and certainly the airport has never been tested in this way before. But the delay to reopening is necessary to ensure travelers’ safety.” Hurihanganui said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY SUNDEEKA MUNGROO

Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.

Recent Posts

Who are the most-capped Springboks in Test rugby?

Discover the names of the seven players who have played more over 100 Tests in…

12 months ago

Springboks trophy tour bus crashes in the Eastern Cape

The Springbok branded Tour bus was involved accident that happened on Monday while the vehicle was travelling from…

12 months ago

Several SEVERE weather alerts issued for the country from TODAY

Shorts and slops or an umbrella? Here's what the weather holds for every province in…

1 year ago

Guinness World Records: Largest LEGO® brick playing card

The largest LEGO® brick playing card is 3.69 m X 2.59 m (12 ft 1…

1 year ago

Joke of the day: Stocking up on green beans – 16 October 2023

Laughter is the best medicine they say and South Africans certainly could do with a…

1 year ago

WEATHER: Severe thunderstorms, winds, heavy rain and HAIL to hit these parts of SA

Shorts and slops or an umbrella? Here's what the weather holds for every province in…

1 year ago