Strong winds in Queenstown disrupted several flights on Friday, leaving many runners unable to reach the annual Queenstown Marathon on Saturday.
At least four flights, three from Auckland and one from Wellington, were forced to return to their original airports due to dangerous crosswinds. This left marathon participants scrambling to find alternate travel options.
Air New Zealand acknowledged the disruption, noting their teams were working to rebook passengers on alternate flights, including additional recovery flights if the weather improves. Despite adding 3,550 extra seats across 22 flights for the event, many runners are now expected to miss the race.
Affected runners shared their frustrations online. Some described being stranded in Christchurch or stuck in queues at Auckland Airport. One commented on the frightening wind conditions, while another expressed disappointment at missing the race despite hours of travel attempts.
I have always wanted to travel all around Europe