Auckland Airport evacuated and flights at a standstill after ‘safety breach’
Auckland Airport was thrown into chaos after a ‘security breached’ was announced, with travellers being told to evacuate the airport and go back through security again
Auckland Airport was thrown into chaos(Image: Stuff Digital Ltd)
Flights were brought to a standstill and travellers were forced to evacuate a major airport as officials dealt with a “security breach”.
Footage has revealed holidaymakers stranded at Auckland Airport as a security breach. People were also being held on planes after landing because of the breach. Tourists who had already been cleared through security and due to board flights were also told to leave. Large queues then formed as people had to go through security screening again, reports Stuff.
An announcement over the airport speakers said: “Due to a security breach all passengers are to be rescreened. Please follow the instructions of staff. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
A reporter at the airport said multiple security vehicles were outside and there were major delays. Auckland Airport confirmed the security breach at the domestic terminal on Wednesday morning. A spokesperson said the incident “has now been resolved”.
They said: “Aviation Security is requiring all passengers to be rescreened and that process is underway. Safety and security at the airport is important and we thank travellers for their patience.
“There have been some delays to flights, and we ask that anyone travelling domestically this morning to please stay across travel updates from their airline.”
Regan Savage was on a 6.30am flight from Wellington, and when it landed passengers had to wait on the plane for 30 to 40 minutes. Crew told them there had been a security breach and that the area had to be “sterilised”. They gave no further details. When he got into the terminal there were huge queues of people waiting to go through security, he told Morning Report.
Auckland Airport’s website showed more than a dozen domestic departures were delayed. The incident is believed to have been resolved.
British travellers could face further chaos as a major airline and its subsidiaries will be hit by fresh pilot strikes.
Holiday plans for UK tourists were already thrown into disarray earlier this week following a two-day walkout at Lufthansa, which saw hundreds of flights axed across Europe and several British airports affected.
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has announced renewed industrial action at Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its subsidiaries Lufthansa Cargo AG, Lufthansa CityLine GmbH, and Eurowings GmbH today (April 14). The strikes will commence on April 16, 2026, at 12.01am local time and conclude on April 17, 2026, at 11.59pm local time.
Services departing from German airports during this timeframe will be impacted, according to a statement on VC’s website, though multiple British airports could face disruption once more.
The statement also clarified that “due to the current situation in the Middle East, flights operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lufthansa CityLine from Germany to the following destinations remain exempt from the strike: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates”.
