Air New Zealand flight to China denied permission to land, forced to turn back

A Boeing 787 operated by Air New Zealand takes off from Shanghai airport

An Air New Zealand flight bound for China has been forced to do a U-turn several hours in after being denied permission to land.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson told Travel Weekly that flight NZ289 Auckland to Shanghai returned to Auckland around four-and-a-half to five hours into its journey after it was discovered a “technicality” meant the plane did not have Chinese regulatory authority to land in China.

“The flight landed back in Auckland around 10am yesterday morning and customers were accommodated for the day at hotels or at the airport’s Strata Lounge before they departed for Shanghai on a special service at 11pm yesterday evening,” the spokesperson said.

“We know customers will be deeply disappointed and frustrated by this situation and we are very sorry for the disruption to their travel plans.”

One passenger tweeted that Air NZ also offered passengers a “gesture of goodwill” in the form of a NZD$200 voucher.

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