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Passengers on an Emirates flight to Auckland, New Zealand, which departed Dubai on Friday morning, eventually landed at the same airport it took off from just over 13 hours later.
Flight EK448 departed at 10:30 a.m. local time and the pilot turned around almost halfway through the nearly 9,000-mile journey, landing back in Dubai just after midnight on Saturday, according to FlightAware and Business Insider.
Auckland Airport was forced to close earlier this weekend due to severe flooding.
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Emirates flight EK448 flew for 13 hours before turning around and landing in Dubai early Saturday morning local time. (iStock / iStock)
“Auckland Airport has assessed the damage to our international terminal and has unfortunately determined that international flights are unable to operate today,” the airport said in a statement Saturday afternoon local time. “We know this is extremely frustrating, but passenger safety is our top priority.”
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On Saturday evening local time, after domestic flights resumed, airport officials said international flights would resume on Sunday morning.
Emirates said in a statement to Business Insider: “We regret the inconvenience caused to customers. Emirates will continue to monitor the situation in Auckland and provide updates as necessary.”
An excavator is plunged into a flooded construction site in the Wynyard Quarter the morning after record rain January 28, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Lynn Grieveson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The airline did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Flight 448 has been moved to Saturday Dubai time and was due to arrive in Auckland on Sunday afternoon local time.