Some flights out of Tauranga have been cancelled because of ash from the Whakaari/White Island volcano. 

Air New Zealand told the Herald it cancelled 19 services in and out of Tauranga this morning due to the ash cloud impacting the flight path. 

Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said the airline would reassess conditions early this afternoon. 

It would resume flying as soon as it is safe to operate in and out of Tauranga, McGraw said. 

“The safety of our customers and crew is our priority, and we are closely monitoring the situation.” 

He said affected customers would be rebooked on the next available service to help them reach their final destination safely. 

“We recommend customers check the Air New Zealand app or website for the latest updates on their flight.” 

Tauranga Airport’s website showed five arrivals cancelled today. 

They included NZ5806 from Christchurch at 10.55am, NZ5133/SQ4425 at noon from Auckland, NZ5260 from Wellington at 12.20pm and NZ5147 from Auckland at 12.55pm. 

The earlier flight NZ5264/QF8500 from Wellington at 10.10am was also cancelled. 

It listed departures starting with NZ5255/QF8609 to Wellington at 11.10 as cancelled. 

NZ5803 to Christchurch at 11.55am, NZ5244/SQ4428 to Auckland at 12.30pm, and NZ5259 to Wellington at 12.50pm was listed as cancelled. 

So was NZ5136/QF8522 at 1.25pm to Auckland. 

The Tauranga Airport site said flights after 3pm were not affected. 

GeoNet at 11.30am described “moderate to heightened volcanic unrest” on the island. 

WeatherWatch said Tauranga at about 11.30am had a sou’westerly wind, which would put it in the path of ash from the volcanic island. 

John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.