Air New Zealand suspends flights from Brisbane and Gold Coast as Cyclone Alfred nears Australian coast

Airports have been shut down across eastern Australia's Queensland and New South Wales as Cyclone Alfred, a category 2 storm in the Coral Sea, is likely to make landfall on Saturday morning (Australia time). Air New Zealand has announced that it has stopped operations in and out of Brisbane and Gold Coast in the face of the impending storm.
While announcing the decision to suspend operations, Air New Zealand' chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan stated that flights would resume only after the Australian authorities give the all clear and restore roads and rail connectivity to the affected airports.

"Customers are advised not to travel to the airport and those impacted have been contacted directly with rebooking options. We also encourage customers to ensure their contact details are up to date in their booking, so we can reach them if needed. We understand some customers may no longer wish to travel to or from areas affected by the cyclone, so we are offering additional flexibility for affected customers. Customers ticketed to travel to or from Brisbane or the Gold Coast up to and including Sunday, 16 March, have the option to defer travel within seven days of their original booking or place the value of their ticket into credit," Morgan was quoted as saying by New Zealand website RNZ.co.nz.


Brisbane Airport was closed on Thursday afternoon and Australian authorities advised thousands of residents in northern New South Wales to evacuate and move to safer places. Schools have been shut down and public transport has been suspended while many areas have seen power outage due to the impending storm.

Cyclone Alfred's landfall is expected to take place along South East Queensland and New South Wales North Coast in eastern Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Cyclone Alfred has led to heavy rainfall, strong winds and high waves.

The affected areas include Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina .

Cyclone Alfred will bring sustained winds of 100 kilometres per hour gusting up to 140 kilometres per hour near the eye of the storm.