A transtasman flight departing Christchurch last night was battered by severe turbulence over the Southern Alps, as strong winds continue to blast the South Island.
NZ223 faced strong head winds and severe turbulence on its way out of New Zealand, arriving in Sydney an hour later than scheduled.
Travellers aboard the Air New Zealand A321 described horrific moment of weightlessness and screams heard in the cabin.
A passenger flying out of the southern air hub last night told the New Zealand Herald, their service “sure was bumpy”.
Air New Zealand crew reportedly came though the cabin to check for injuries among passengers.
“Air New Zealand flight NZ233 Christchurch to Sydney experienced turbulence departing Christchurch due to strong winds,” said a spokesperson for the airline.
“There were no injuries sustained by either our customers or our crew.”
Groundspeed-Altitude data for the flight shows a drastic drop in flight speed around 15 minutes into the flight.
Passengers aboard NZ223 described a sensation of losing height rapidly for around two seconds.
Passengers flying out of Christchurch last night report being warned by flight crew that services would be particularly turbulent due to strong winds.
One passenger described this moment of stomach-churning turbulence, telling Stuff that “a number of passengers screamed” as the plane hit violent turbulence.
Auckland to Christchurch services were also affected by the rough weather, buffeting the commuter route.
The South Island has experienced strong winds from across the country.
El Nino only part of the pattern: Strong winds and spring flights
The uncomfortable flying comes as MetService issued red weather warnings Friday, regarding strong winds.
The El Nino weather pattern is bringing windy westerlies and a particularly blustery couple of days for the South Island.
Earlier this week WeatherWatch’s Philip Duncan told the New Zealand Herald that Kiwis could expect severe gale northwesterlies into the weekend.
“The pattern we’ll be seeing will be kind of off-and-on for the next couple of weeks, with a surge at the end of this week, followed by a bigger one around Sunday,” he said
MetService issued severe weather warnings and watches for Thursday and Friday, with a moderate risk of severe gale northwesterlies about Marlborough, Wellington, Wairarapa, Tararua and Central Hawke’s Bay on Friday morning.
“El Niño is only part of the story,” MetService spokeswoman, Thapi Makgabutlane told the Herald, but it was adding to discomfort of air passengers.
“The types of strong westerly to northwesterly wind flow patterns we’re seeing at the moment are good producers of these types of turbulent conditions for the South Island, and these wind patterns are more likely during an El Niño spring and summer.”
