'Stomach-dropping roller coaster ride': Passengers describe ...
Ross Giblin/Stuff
Strong winds forced the cancellation of 12 flights on Monday morning and lead to diversion of few flights on Sunday night. (File photo)
Passengers flying into Wellington on Sunday said they felt as though they were “on a roller coster ride” when their flights hit turbulence due to gale-force winds.
Ryan Sharma, 11, who flew to Wellington on Sunday evening after celebrating his birthday in Christchurch said the turbulence was like a “stomach-dropping roller coster ride.”
Sharma said the plane shook for almost 20 minutes before landing in Wellington: “It was scary, kind of how you would feel if you were on a roller coaster.”
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“I was getting butterflies in my tummy.”
His father Rishi Sharma, who is a frequent traveller, said the flight was a nerve-racking experience even for seasoned travellers.
“It’s just standard for the plane to shake and go a little bit up and down before landing into Wellington airport. However, it was quite unusual this time as it was a very rocky ride.”
He said the turbulence lasted for about 20 minutes.
The Sharma family’s flight landed safely in Wellington. However, passengers on diverted flights are still trying to find a way to reach Wellington.
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Air New Zealand's NZ8876 was one of the flights to be diverted away from Wellington.
Wellington resident Dave Wilson, whose sister and brother-in-law were on a flight that got diverted away from Wellington, said some passengers were screaming.
”She [Wilson’s sister] said they'd never experienced anything like it. The flight went up and down and then twisted side to side.
“It was so rough some people held on to their chairs tightly and people were trying to calm down each other.
”I am glad the pilot took a wise decision to divert the flight.”
His sister and brother-in-law are back in Christchurch and looking for accomodation.
MetService, on Sunday, said strong winds created mountain waves over the North Island, with cloud and rain across the South Island.
The severe gales reached near record gusts in the lower North Island forcing the cancellation and diversions of flights away from Wellington.
Wellington International Airport’s external relations manager Phil Rennie said the weather is much better now and flights can operate normally.
“There were 12 cancelled flights this morning and delays as a flow-on effect from last night’s [Sunday night’s] weather.
“Airlines are working to help passengers, and people should check directly with their airlines for the status of their flights.”
