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Auckland Airport has apologised to passengers who spent hours sitting on a plane during a storm before being moved to a bus and left waiting metres from an arrival gate, saying safety and security factors were responsible for delays. 

The Herald understands gate allocations are managed by airlines, while the opening of gates requires strict security procedures overseen by the airport. 

Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said strong and unpredictable winds on Sunday meant at times it was unsafe to move aircraft already parked at gates. 

“With departures unable to push back, gates were filled and arriving flights had to wait before passengers could disembark,” he said. “We understand this created a frustrating experience; however, safety has to remain our core focus.” 

An Auckland Airport spokesperson said the severe winds disrupted domestic flights primarily, delaying the offboarding of passengers and bags. 

“Because of the unsafe working conditions for ground handlers, the domestic airfield was busier than usual. Unfortunately, this meant some passengers experienced unacceptable delays,” they said. 

The spokesperson said airlines cancelled 31 departing domestic flights and 32 arriving flights, while one departing and one arriving international flight were cancelled. 

“Auckland Airport was asked to provide bus support services to airlines to help offboard domestic passengers from an aircraft with no gate allocated,” they said. 

“Demands on the security team meant they were delayed in reaching passengers, and Auckland Airport sincerely apologises for this.” 

Frustrated passengers, already delayed by severe winds that disrupted ground operations, remained on their plane for around three hours before being transferred to a bus. They were then driven only metres from the arrival gate and made to wait even longer, with some beating on the perspex screen protecting the bus driver. 

One passenger, who had already endured hours of weather-related delays, said the situation was worse than he had experienced in some developing countries. 

He said that after alighting about 10.40pm, passengers could not use gangways because of the disruption to ground operations. Instead, they waited on shuttle buses for another 45 minutes before reaching the terminal. 

He described passengers becoming “irate” during the extended wait. 

“It wasn’t pleasant,” he said. 

“We ended up being stuck on the bus for 45 minutes outside the terminal,” he added, claiming staff were delayed in opening the secure entry doors. 

Another passenger, whose flight to Taupō was cancelled because of the weather, said he did not get home until 3am. He described crying babies and “disappointed faces” among those waiting. 

A third passenger questioned why it took so long to move passengers to another gate, though airport staff later explained security protocols had to be followed before access could be granted. 

Air New Zealand’s chief operating officer Alex Marren said many flights were disrupted in and out of Auckland Airport due to extreme wind conditions affecting ground handling operations. 

“Our airport and customer teams are working hard to get customers on to their final destinations as quickly as possible, and we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding,” she said. 

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.