Watch: Air NZ jet aborts Wellington landing as gales batter capital

Author: Cherie Howie,
Publish Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2026, 3:42pm

It was a rollercoaster ride for passengers on a Wellington-bound Air New Zealand flight from Brisbane that was forced to abort its landing as gales lashed the capital yesterday.

“All you heard was a bang and [it] just went up”, one passenger wrote after footage of NZ272’s failed attempt to land at Wellington Airport was posted on the Wellington Severe Weather Reports Facebook page.

“Going up was way worse than trying to get down”, the Wellington man wrote.

The A321’s tyres briefly touched the runway before the plane climbed steeply back into the air just after 4pm.

A “go-around” occurred because NZ272 experienced wind shear just before touchdown, Air NZ chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said.

The jet could be seen swaying as it made its approach to Wellington Airport. Photo / Screengrab via video / Nick Swasbrook

“When the wind shear occurred, the standard procedure of initiating a go-around was executed, during which the main wheels momentarily touched the runway.

“Due to the weather conditions at Wellington, the pilots diverted to Christchurch and made a safe landing.”

The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew was the airline’s number one priority, McGraw said.

“Although these situations are rare, our crew are trained to respond to them. Customers on board have been reaccommodated, and we thank them for their patience and understanding”.

Nick Swasbrook filmed the dramatic landing attempt as the capital copped gale-force southerlies that left a trail of damage and disruption across the lower North Island yesterday.

The jet's tyres briefly touched Wellington Airport's runway before it took off again. Photo / Screengrab via video / Nick Swasbrook

Another Wellingtonian on the plane described the landing approach as “fine”.

“The climb back out was more nerve-racking.”

She was still in Christchurch, the woman wrote this afternoon.

“No return until tomorrow.”

Multiple flights were affected by yesterday's foul weather in Wellington. Photo / Screengrab via video / Nick Swasbrook

Those on NZ272 weren’t the only air travellers unable to get into the capital yesterday, with another Air NZ flight – NZ254 from Melbourne – diverted to Auckland.

The flight, scheduled to land in Wellington at 2.50pm, spent some time off the Kāpiti Coast before abandoning any attempt to land and heading to Auckland.

NZ254 was at one point the most tracked flight in the world on Flight Radar 24.

Other flights never left the ground, with multiple cancellations.

Wellington Airport was running as normal today, although an airport spokesperson warned some flow-on disruptions may remain as airlines work to clear the backlog of travellers disrupted by yesterday’s wild weather.