Air New Zealand flight lands safely at Wellington International Airport after issue with aircraft

An ATR-72 Air New Zealand aircraft.
An ATR-72 Air New Zealand aircraft. Photo credit: Peter Clark

An Air New Zealand flight preparing for an emergency landing has touched down safely at Wellington International Airport, after emergency services received reports of an issue with the aircraft.

Fire and Emergency had instructed local police to put cordons in place around the airport, however emergency services were stood down following the plane's safe landing. Six crews were on standby as a precautionary measure.

A spokesperson for Wellington International Airport said they received a standby alert from Air New Zealand Flight NZ5330 on Thursday morning. The plane had been travelling from Christchurch to Wellington.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson confirmed to Newshub that pilots were alerted to fumes in the cabin. Fire and Emergency said it received a report of smoke inside a plane's cabin and cockpit at around 7:45am.

The plane landed safely at around 8am and passengers are disembarking as normal.

The aircraft is being checked following the incident.