Weather: All flights cancelled from Wellington as fog hangs over city

All flights in and out of Wellington have been cancelled or delayed as thick fog blankets the city today.

An estimated 6000 passengers have been affected after 91 cancellations and 16 diversions.

Wellington Airport spokesperson Phil Rennie said low visibility due to low cloud was the cause of the major disruptions.

“Passengers are advised to check directly with their airlines for updates on their flights. Larger jets are able to operate normally.”

Rennie said the airport had been very busy today, crowded with frustrated passengers. He said the forecast was looking better tomorrow, but it will not be business as usual due to the large backlog. Rennie estimated it would take a few days to clear it.

Air NZ has yet to announce its cancellations, however, Sounds Air has listed some of its flights as having an indefinite delay.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris told the Herald the city was currently blanketed in fog, with the cameras at Wellington Airport showing the cloud base (how far the bottom of the cloud is from the ground) was just 150 metres.

Although it was currently dense and “grey”, Ferris said it was likely that conditions would improve as the day went on.

“There will be low cloud with some drizzle at the airport and around the city up until around 10am today and then we kind of expect that to gradually lift and then in the afternoon get a little bit higher as well,” Ferris said.

He said because the weather is currently quite cool, the fog will hang around until the sun gets high enough to heat the ground, which in turn will burn off the lower level of the cloud base.

The cancellations and delays come two days after more fog caused havoc for people flying in and out of the city.

On Sunday, Air New Zealand said 29 of its flights had been grounded including 12 arrivals and 17 departures, and six more from Sounds Air were cancelled.

Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.