Air NZ cancels 59 flights on Monday in wake of lockdown

Air New Zealand has cancelled 59 domestic flights on Monday as Auckland’s alert level 3 restrictions take hold. Auckland went into level 3 lockdown from 6am on Sunday, while the rest of the country moved into alert level 2 after the discovery of a community case. The restrictions will be in place for seven days. A spokeswoman for the national carrier says “as essential and transit travel only is permitted into and out of Auckland under Alert Level 3, Air New Zealand is seeing a number of customers choosing to rebook flights or cancel and opt for credit.” As a result, 18 main trunk jet flights and 41 regional turboprop flights have been cancelled on Monday, March 1. There were lengthy delays at Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal on Sunday as travellers attempted to leave the city. Schedules on Sunday ran largely to normal as airlines allowed passengers to get home.<br/>