Disruptive passenger forces Auckland-bound Air NZ flight to land in Melbourne

An Air New Zealand flight from Perth to Auckland was unexpectedly diverted to Melbourne after an unruly passenger caused a disturbance mid-flight.

Photo by Ewan McGrath

Flight NZ176, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, took off from Perth Airport at 7:50 pm local time and was scheduled to arrive in Auckland this morning. However, about three hours into the flight, the crew made the decision to divert the aircraft to Melbourne due to the escalating situation onboard.

According to flight tracker Flightradar24, the aircraft landed safely in Melbourne, where local authorities were called to handle the incident. Passengers were reportedly held on the plane until the disruptive individual was removed.

Air New Zealand’s Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, Captain David Morgan, confirmed the diversion, stating it was due to an "incident involving a disruptive passenger." He emphasized that the safety of passengers and crew is always the airline’s top priority.

Image of NZ176 flight path from Flightradar24

The flight was delayed before resuming its journey to Auckland, with passengers experiencing several hours of inconvenience. No further details were provided about the nature of the disruption or the condition of the passenger involved, but investigations are underway.