N.A.C. hard-pressed

Press, 29 August 1977, Page 1

N.A.C. hard-pressed

PA Wellington Bad weather disrupted flights in and out of Wellington Airport for the third time in four days yesterday. By the time fog cleared about noon, about 1000 more people, mostly holidaymakers, had been added to the list of those stranded when the airport closed early on Saturday afternoon.

The duty traffic superintendent (Mr W. Rodgers) said that a few of the people stranded on Saturday had been rebooked on flights yesterday morning

— and had missed again. The fog forced the cancellation of 14 flights and further worsened the backlog of waiting passengers. Some will not be able to get a flight until Tuesday. However, the airport stayed open until late last evening, and many of those stranded on Saturday were able to fly out as stand-by passengers on one of the seven special flights added to the already heavy holiday schedule. The scene was one of turmoil, too, at Christchurch Airport yesterday as the 800 people whose N.A.C. flights north had been cancelled waited for seats on Sunday flights.

By mid-afternoon, when crowds reached their peak, there were about 1000 inside the terminal building. A total of 28 flights using Christchurch Airport were disrupted during the week-end when weather closed both Wellington and Christchurch Airports.

Eight flights in and out of Christchurch were cancelled on Saturday when fog closed the airport at 1.40 p.m. Another six flights north were cancelled yesterday because Wellington was closed. Six flights into Christchurch were also cancelled when it closed for landings at 9.40 a.m. Christchurch reopened at 1.30 p.m. yesterday, and

by 9.30 p.m. the backlog had been cleared with three special flights out, including a DCIO chartered from Air New Zealand.

Three special flights from Wellington to Christchurch helped to clear the south-bound backlog by midnight.

No Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch was disrupted. The difficulties may not be over — strong, cold southerlies and showers are expected to lash Wellington and Christchurch again today. The wind may prevent a repetition of the low cloud and fog, however.