Travelers in New Zealand Face Interruptions as Airports of Wellington, Christchurch, Napier, Auckland and more Face a Dozen of Flight Cancellations and Multiple Delays by Air New Zealand

Published on November 23, 2025

The New Zealand domestic air travel network is facing serious interference today. Across the country, operations for Air New Zealand are notably disrupted, affecting travelers nationwide on 23rd November, 2025. Specifically, key hubs like Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland are seeing the most cancellations. Furthermore, vital regional links to Napier, Rotorua, Gisborne, Nelson and Whangarei are also severely compromised. This situation demands immediate attention from passengers. Consequently, twelve flights were recently cancelled. Also, an additional forty-one flights faced unexpected delays. These numbers clearly indicate widespread operational difficulties. The primary national carrier, Air New Zealand, must now manage the complex logistics of rebooking of stranded passengers. Therefore, we break down the full impact. We analyze the specific routes and the full list of affected airports. This is what you need to know about the current flight interruptions.

A Breakdown of the Affected Flights

A detailed analysis of the flight schedule reveals the specific services that are no longer operating as planned. The cancellations are distributed across different times of the day, suggesting that the operational challenges are not isolated to a single peak period.

• In the morning, the affected services include the ANZ5770 flight, an AT72 turboprop, from Christchurch International Airport (CHC) to Napier (NPE), scheduled for 8:25 AM. Following this, the ANZ5231 service, a DH8C, from Rotorua (ROT) to Wellington International Airport (WLG) is also cancelled at its 9:45 AM departure time. The day’s largest aircraft casualty, the ANZ417 service, an A320 jet, scheduled to fly from Auckland (AKL) to Wellington (WLG) at 10:20 AM, is also removed from the schedule. A return regional service, ANZ5775 (AT72), from Napier (NPE) back to Christchurch (CHC) at 10:35 AM is affected as well.
• The afternoon sees a continuation of the cancellations. The ANZ5234 DH8C service from Wellington (WLG) to Rotorua (ROT) is cancelled at 12:30 PM, followed by the ANZ5162 DH8C from Gisborne (GIS) to Auckland (AKL) at 1:15 PM. Mid-afternoon disruptions involve the ANZ5843 DH8C flight from Nelson (NSN) to Christchurch (CHC) at 3:00 PM.
• In the evening, further regional connections are compromised. The ANZ5222 DH8C service from Auckland (AKL) to Whangarei (WRE) at 4:06 PM and its return leg, ANZ5223 DH8C from Whangarei (WRE) to Auckland (AKL) at 5:20 PM, are both cancelled. The day’s disruptions conclude with the ANZ5087 DH8C flight from Auckland (AKL) to Nelson (NSN) at 8:20 PM also being pulled from the schedule.

Delays

Beyond the twelve outright cancellations, a total of forty-one flights operated by Air New Zealand are reported as delayed. This 8% rate of delay indicates a pervasive operational sluggishness across the network. Even when flights are ultimately taking off, they are not adhering to their published schedules, creating a ripple effect of further disruption that impacts connecting flights and ground transportation.

Affected Airports

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The interruption of Air New Zealand’s services might have an immediate and tangible impact on local tourism, particularly in regional destinations. For cities like Napier, which is a key tourism gateway for the Hawke’s Bay region, the cancellation of both morning and mid-day services to and from Christchurch and Auckland disrupts the arrival and departure of visitors. Travelers are unable to maintain scheduled itineraries, potentially leading to missed hotel check-ins, abandoned tour bookings and forfeited car rentals. This disruption of connectivity with the main international gateway in Auckland can compromise the flow of international visitors connecting to domestic destinations, thus challenging regional businesses that rely on the reliable movement of tourists throughout New Zealand.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Passengers whose travel plans have been compromised by the Air New Zealand cancellations and delays are advised to immediately verify their flight status. It is recommended that affected parties utilize the official Air New Zealand communication channels, such as the airline’s website or mobile application, to seek real-time updates and rebooking information. Affected passengers are generally offered alternative flights or a full refund under applicable criteria. Should new flights be assigned, passengers are reminded to confirm their seat online. Furthermore, passengers should retain receipts for any unexpected costs incurred, such as accommodation or meals, as these may be eligible for a claim under the airline’s policy or through their travel insurance.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.