Dunedin left without air traffic controller.
Dunedin international airport was back up and running this morning after jet flights had to be diverted to another airport after an air traffic controller called in sick.
There are only six controllers that work in the tower on rotating shifts so all flights between 7:40pm Thursday and 6:30am Friday were either delayed or diverted.
Two flights that were due to land in the evening were both diverted to Invercargill and the passengers taken by bus to Dunedin.
Passengers travelling to Christchurch were transferred to smaller ATR-72 aircraft as smaller aircrafts were able to arrive and depart using unattended procedures.
The NZPA reported Chief executive John McCall as saying the same situation would never be allowed to develop in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.
“It’s another case where Dunedin gets caught on the end.”
Airways Corporation says having to divert the flights was regrettable but unavoidable but there wasn’t much they could do.
Tags: Air New Zealand, Air Traffic Control, Airways New Zealand, Dunedin, Invercargill
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