Airlines put on extra flights after just one flight landed at the airport on Tuesday and the remaining 30 scheduled movements in and out of Queenstown that day were either diverted or delayed. Yesterday, the Queenstown airport was full of both domestic and international travelers who had stayed in Queenstown overnight, but were covered by the airlines for their flights only.
As well as yesterday's 30 scheduled aircraft movements, three domestic arrivals and departures were scheduled, while an extra Pacific Blue flight to Australia also left from the airport.
Although the 24-hour delay could have been a nuisance for many visitors, it was a blessing in disguise for a group from Wellington on a spring holiday.
The four visitors, Katherine Pfeffer, Francesca Elenio, Laura Henderson and Rochelle Hockly, arrived late last week to explore the skifields, and admitted yesterday they were pleased to be able to spend an extra day in the "winter wonderland".
"We checked out Arrowtown yesterday, which was beautiful," Miss Elenio said. "It was the highlight of the trip. This morning has been epic."
Miss Hockly said the group of friends had never seen snow at ground level to the extent it had fallen in both Frankton and Arrowtown yesterday.
However, the qualified nurse said she was ready to get on the plane 24 hours after her scheduled flight and go home: "If I wasn't thinking about the work I had back home it'd be fine."
