Air New Zealand flight lands safely after declaring mayday

An Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Napier landed safely at Hawke’s Bay Airport on Wednesday morning after the pilot declared a mayday. The distress call was made at 9.22am due to an issue with the aircraft's front-wheel or nose-wheel steering. The plane was seen circling above Hawke Bay before preparing to land at approximately 9.40am and touching down around 10am.

Emergency services were on standby at the airport as a precaution. Fire and Emergency responded with three fire trucks and two tankers. An eyewitness at the airport reported seeing two fire trucks on the tarmac, as well as police and an ambulance.

All passengers disembarked the aircraft as normal and no injuries were reported. Among the passengers was the Marist Under 16 water polo team, who are attending a four-day tournament in Hawke’s Bay. Team manager Prue Fisher said the players were fine despite seeing fire engines beside the runway.

The incident caused disruptions to other flights, including the diversion of flight NZ5770 from Christchurch to Napier, which landed in Palmerston North. Passengers on that flight were reportedly told they would be transported to Napier by bus. Additionally, two outbound morning flights to Auckland and Christchurch were cancelled.

Where reports differ

• Reports differ on the exact landing time, with one stating 9.59am and others stating around 10am
• The number of fire vehicles on standby was reported as two fire trucks by an eyewitness and three fire trucks with two tankers by Fire and Emergency

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, Stuff and RNZ.