Last Friday, an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Dunedin failed to take off after receiving a serious security threat. The incident affected flight NZ677, which was due to depart Auckland Airport at 16:55 on January 3 but was later canceled, and the aircraft remained in Auckland until returning to service on Saturday, January 4, at 10:05. Here is the official word from Air New Zealand In an updated statement on Saturday, Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer David Morgan said: "Flight NZ677 was due to depart from Auckland to Dunedin yesterday evening, however, the aircraft returned to the gate due to security reasons.
Passengers remained onboard for a period of time while standard procedures were followed before disembarking safely. Passengers were then asked to remain in a secure area while police managed the incident. "We appreciate situations like this can be distressing and uncomfortable for passengers, but the safety of everyone onboard is our top priority.
Our team worked hard to support passengers by providing snacks, hot food, fruit and water, booking accommodation for the night, and rebooking flights. Our team is following up with passengers today to check in with them. Any further inquiries should be directed to the Police.
" The A320 was thoroughly searched with nothing suspicious found According to Flightradar24 , the aircraft involved was a 2011 Airbus A320-200, registration ZK-OJS and MSN 4926. It arrived in Auckland from Queenstow.
