Emirates Plane Takes Off From Dubai for New Zealand, Flies for 13 Hours Only To Land Back in Dubai; Here's Why
In an official statement, the airport said, "Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. It further added, "We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority."
Mumbai, January 30: In a bizarre incident, a New Zealand-bound flight landed up at the same airport after taking off from Dubai. The emirates flight which was heading to Auckland, New Zealand left Dubai on Friday morning. However, instead of landing in New Zealand, the flight landed back in Dubai 13 hours after taking off from the same airport.
According to a report in Fox News, the emirates flight left Dubai at around 10:30 am local time for New Zealand, however, the pilot turned the flight after completing almost half of the 9000-mile journey, only to land back in Dubai. As per report, the pilot turned the flight as the Auckland Airport was forced to shut operations due to severe flooding. Emirates’ Dubai-Australia Flight Suffers Huge Hole in Fuselage After Technical Glitch, Lands Safely in Brisbane.
Auckland Airport Issues Statement
What Did the Airport Say?
In an official statement, the airport said, "Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. It further added, "We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority."
A day later after domestic flights resumed services, airport officials assured that international flights would also resume by Sunday morning. After the incident came to light, Emirates issued a statement. Emirates Airline Suspends All Passenger Flights From South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe Due to New COVID-19 Variant.
Speaking to Business Insider, the airline said, "We regret the inconvenience caused to customers. Emirates will continue to monitor the situation in Auckland and issue updates where require."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2023 06:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).