WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Jetstar and Qantas have cancelled a number of trans-Tasman and domestic flights as a safety measure, with all checkout counters at Auckland International Airport closed this morning.Air New Zealand general manager airline operations safety Captain David Morgan said it would have been easier to simply cancel flights and it had taken a lot of effort to develop alternative flight plans to continue to get passengers to their destinations.
However, Air New Zealand is continuing to operate despite an ash cloud from a Chilean volcano which has disrupted flights internally and across the Tasman. The airline yesterday operated 473 flights and carried more than 26,500 passengers around New Zealand and across the Tasman.- By working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, MetService and others, the airline said it was able to make adjustments to flight paths and cruising altitudes to avoid the ash and maintain a safe service.
The Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile began erupting on June 4, with the ash plume drifting thousands of kilometres across the South Atlantic, South Africa, Indian Ocean, Tasmania and now New Zealand.
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