New Zealand, Australia, Niue, Tonga and New Caledonia Face Travel Chaos as Airports of Wellington, Adelaide, Nukuʻalofa, Nouméa and more Experiences 20 Cancellations and Over 100 Delays by Air New Zealand

Published on November 29, 2025

A major operational meltdown has hit Air New Zealand, starting on 28th and continuing on 29th November, 2025, creating massive travel disruptions across five nations. The airline confirmed 20 flight cancellations and an astonishing 169 delays. This instability has caused chaos for passengers scheduled to travel over the weekend. Crucially, the effects are widespread, impacting key cities and remote islands alike. The widespread disruption extends from major hubs in Australia to the smaller gateway in New Caledonia. Specifically, airports in Wellington, Adelaide, Nukuʻalofa (Tonga) and Nouméa, among others are all grappling with the fallout. This crisis highlights significant challenges within the Air New Zealand network. Consequently, travelers heading to Niue and Tonga now face significant uncertainty. Therefore, passengers must immediately check their flight status and plan for potential re-routing.

A Breakdown of the Affected Flights

The impact on the Air New Zealand schedule is clearly visible across multiple aircraft types, including the A320, A20N, A21N, DH8C and AT72. The operational difficulties began on Friday evening with domestic services like ANZ561 (Auckland to Christchurch) and ANZ5798 (Wellington to New Plymouth), before extending into Saturday and Sunday. International legs, crucial for connectivity between New Zealand and its neighbours, were not spared. For instance, the ANZ261 service from Christchurch to Adelaide in Australia was scheduled for Friday, while the return ANZ262 service was scheduled for Saturday, both being critical links now potentially compromised. The widespread nature of the disruption suggests that the airline’s full network, both within New Zealand and across the region, is currently experiencing significant strain.

The reported disruptions involve both short-haul domestic flights within New Zealand and longer, crucial regional routes. Key domestic sectors affected include the high-volume ‘Golden Triangle’ routes:

• Auckland (AKL) to Christchurch (CHC) and its return.
• Auckland (AKL) to Wellington (WLG) and its return.
• Wellington (WLG) to New Plymouth (NPL), Nelson (NSN) and Dunedin (DUD). Internationally, vital Pacific and Trans-Tasman routes linking New Zealand to Australia and the South Pacific islands have been interrupted. These include:
• Christchurch (CHC) to Adelaide (ADL) in Australia and return.
• Auckland (AKL) to Niue Hanan Int’l (NIUE) and return, connecting Niue.
• Fuaʻamotu Int’l (TBU) in Tonga to Auckland (AKL).
• La Tontouta Int’l (NOU) in New Caledonia to Auckland (AKL).
• Gold Coast (OOL) in Australia to Auckland (AKL).
• Sydney (SYD) in Australia to Queenstown (NZQN).

Delays

The magnitude of the service interruption is best quantified by the data on delays. A total of 169 delays were registered, accounting for 38% of the monitored services. Such a high percentage indicates that nearly four out of every ten services scheduled by Air New Zealand were unable to operate as planned.

Affected Airports

The operational impact has been geographically extensive, affecting major and regional airports across five countries. In New Zealand, the key hubs of Auckland Airport (AKL), Christchurch Airport (CHC) and Wellington International (WLG) are heavily featured in the list of originating and destination airports. Smaller regional airports in New Zealand like New Plymouth (NPL), Nelson (NSN), Napier (NPE) and Dunedin (DUD) have also been affected.

Internationally, the disruption has been felt at critical gateways:

• Adelaide International (ADL) and Sydney (SYD) in Australia.
• Niue Hanan International Airport (NIUE) in Niue.
• Fuaʻamotu International (TBU), which serves Tonga.
• La Tontouta International (NOU), the main airport for New Caledonia.

The involvement of airports across New Zealand, Australia, Niue, Tonga and New Caledonia underscores the regional scope of the problem facing Air New Zealand.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The widespread nature of this disruption is expected to exert a measurable impact on local tourism and associated industries across the affected countries. The 20 cancellations represent an immediate loss of inbound tourist and business passenger revenue for cities like Wellington, Adelaide, Nukuʻalofa (Tonga) and Nouméa (New Caledonia). Furthermore, the 169 delays curtail the effective holiday duration for leisure travellers, leading to lower expenditure on pre-booked accommodation, tours and ground services in destinations throughout New Zealand and Australia. The operational difficulties experienced by Air New Zealand may lead to reputational concerns for the airline and potentially dampen future bookings, particularly for the smaller, more tourism-dependent economies of Niue, Tonga and New Caledonia.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by the actions of Air New Zealand are strongly advised to remain proactive. The most crucial initial step is to directly monitor the official Air New Zealand website or mobile application for the most current information regarding their specific flight. Given the scale of 20 cancellations and 169 delays, passengers are generally entitled to certain rights, which may include re-booking onto the next available service, or receiving a refund for the cancelled portion of their journey. Assistance with accommodation and meals is often provided by the carrier in cases of significant delays or cancellations deemed to be within the airline’s control. Direct communication with the airline’s customer service or airport staff is necessary to confirm entitlement and arrange alternative travel plans.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.