Wellington Airport partially evacuated following smoke alarm activation
Saturday 12 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 3 reports · updated In this story Fire and Emergency New Zealand
The southwest pier at Wellington Airport was partially evacuated on Saturday afternoon after smoke alarms were triggered. Fire and Emergency NZ crews responded to the scene, and while the area was cleared for re-entry, passengers faced delays and queues at security.
Key facts
5 facts
- Wellington Airport southwest pier was partially evacuated on Saturday afternoon
- Smoke alarms were triggered at approximately 2.20pm
- The incident was caused by burnt cooking
- Two fire crews from Kilbirnie and Newtown responded to the scene
- The area was declared safe by 2.53pm
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
Wellington Airport's southwest pier was partially evacuated on Saturday afternoon after smoke alarms were triggered. Fire and Emergency NZ responded to the alarm, which was prompted by a "slight smell of smoke". The cause of the alarm was later confirmed to be burnt cooking.
Two fire crews, one from Kilbirnie and one from Newtown, responded to the scene just before 2.20pm. The area was deemed safe for re-entry by 2.53pm.
Passengers on Air New Zealand flight NZ436, which was scheduled to depart for Auckland at 2.55pm, were evacuated onto the tarmac. Upon returning to the terminal, passengers had to undergo security rescreening. This process resulted in large queues and delays of at least 20 minutes.
Where reports differ
- One report specifies the arrival time of flight NZ436 as 4pm, while others focus on the departure and delays
Compiled from reports by Stuff, NZ Herald and 1News.