As the Auckland Airport was flooded due to heavy rain and flooding in Auckland, New Zealand, international airliners coming here returned to their departure point after flying for more than 10 hours.
According to local media reports, Emirates A380 EK448, which departed from Dubai at 11 am on the 27th (local time), was notified that it could not land due to flooding at Auckland Airport, and turned around and returned to Dubai after a 7-hour flight.
Flight EK448, which flew over the Pacific Ocean and returned to its origin, took a total flight time of 13 hours and 47 minutes, almost equivalent to a flight time of 15 hours and 30 minutes from Dubai to Auckland.
In addition, the American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner AA35 also turned back to the United States five hours after departing from Dallas, Texas, for Auckland.
As both the international and domestic terminals were closed due to flooding at Auckland Airport, about 2,000 departing passengers were also stranded at the airport until dawn.
The airport reopened its domestic terminal at noon that day, but the international terminal said it would be difficult to resume both departures and arrivals until 5 p.m.
A record-breaking 249mm of heavy rain fell in the Auckland region on the 27th, leaving two dead and two missing.
A local state of emergency was declared for a week as many property damages occurred, including flooding of houses, washing away roads, and landslides.
(Photo = Stuff site capture, Yonhap News)