Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight to Dunedin had to disembark the aircraft and have their luggage searched yesterday after a threat was made by phone, police say.
The airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, David Morgan, said flight NZ677 was due to depart Auckland Airport for Dunedin at 5.40pm.
However, he told the Otago Daily Times the Airbus A320 returned to the gate due to "security reasons".
This morning, a police spokesperson said a threat had been made by phone, specific to that flight.
"The plane was held at Auckland Airport and all those on board were removed from the plane and taken to a secure location within the airport, as a precautionary measure.
"The plane and all luggage on board was checked by police’s Specialist Search Group, and nothing of concern was located."
Morgan yesterday said passengers remained on board for a time before disembarking "while standard procedures were followed". The passengers had to leave their luggage on the plane.
This morning he said he appreciated such situations could be distressing and uncomfortable for passengers, "but the safety of everyone on board is our top priority".
"After passengers disembarked, our team worked hard to support passengers by providing snacks, hot food, fruit and water, booking accommodation for the night, and rebooking flights, while the police managed the incident.
"Our team is following up with passengers today to check in with them.”
The ODT understands there were 170 passengers on the flight, and after disembarking they were put in a room inside the terminal, where they remained until late last night.
It is understood they had been informed the incident was "serious", and told not to talk to anyone about what was happening.
The passengers, some of whom were children, were allegedly not provided with food while in the terminal room and had been told they would be staying at a nearby hotel.
A Dunedin man who was due to pick up one of the flight’s passengers this morning said some people on the plane were very distressed when they found out about the security threat.
‘‘Some people thought there might be a bomb.
‘‘The plane went down to the far end of the airport and they disembarked off a grass area, and they sort of left row by row. Police and security staff were there. It was a very sort of military-type operation.’’
The situation sounded like it was a ‘‘mess’’ once the passengers were all directed to the special room, he said.
‘‘The plane was due to board about 5.30pm [on Friday], by the time the passengers were sent to the room, they had been waiting for hours with little to no food.
‘‘There were people standing or lying on the floor. They were hungry—later on, some finger food arrived, such as wraps and a few sandwiches.
‘‘I understand it was a difficult situation for everyone but it just doesn’t sound good enough for me.’’
Passenger Helen Cannan this morning said their experience was "largely positive".
"Once back in a large, but not locked, room, more water and various types of food were provided. When they ran out, more was brought in. Some parents were able to go and get McDonald's food for their upset kids.
"Yes, babies and little ones were crying, as you would expect. They were pretty amazing though, as were their parents. Air NZ staff worked very hard to make a bad and unexpected situation more bearable."
Inquiries were continuing, the police spokesperson said this morning.
