Passengers on a Dubai to New Zealand flight stunned after flying for 13 hours and landing at the same airport where they had taken off.
Flight EK448 took off around 10:30 am local time. The pilot made a U-turn just over halfway through the almost 9,000-mile trip, as per FlightAware. The plane eventually landed back in Dubai at around midnight on Saturday.
Auckland Airport authorities took to Twitter and said that "it is extremely frustrating" but important with regards to the safety of the passengers. Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority, they said. The incident has earned the nickname of the 13 hour flight to nowhere on social media.
Furthermore, they said that no international departures could take place until 5 am on January 29. The airport authorities added, No international passenger arrivals at Auckland Airport until 7 am, Sunday 29 January.
The flight was unable to land in New Zealand as Auckland airport had to close down because of severe flooding. Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today, the airport said in a statement, adding that safety of passengers was their top priority.