Flights cancelled, delayed as fog lingers at Auckland Airport

Thursday, 23 July 2026

Fog restrictions imposed at Auckland Airport for the second time on Thursday have been lifted.

Auckland Airport said four domestic flights were cancelled following the new fog restrictions on Thursday afternoon.

One other regional flight was delayed and another diverted before the restrictions were lifted at 3.10pm

International and domestic trunk flights were not affected.

Asked why the fog was still lingering well into the afternoon, MetService said humid air, low winds and less sun meant the fog would take longer to dissipate completely.

This follows a morning of flight disruptions. Auckland Airport was briefly listed on Flightradar24 as the world’s most disrupted airport on Thursday morning.

A frustrating commute for these passengers from Whangarei who disembarked in Tauranga instead of Auckland.

At last count 19 regional flights departing Auckland were cancelled and 19 delayed. Twenty regional flights into Auckland were cancelled, with three delayed. A number of diversions had taken place over the morning.

In Hamilton, a flight from Sydney had reportedly been diverted to Wellington due to fog.

Flight NZ5618 from Christchurch to Hamilton made it as far as Taranaki before turning around and heading back to base.

Passengers flying from Wellington to Hamilton on NZ5820 made it as far as the airspace over the King Country before returning to the Capital.