'World's Best' Christchurch airport hit by fog, flight operations affected

Sudden fog enveloped New Zealand’s Christchurch airport on Thursday (March 27) disrupting flight operations and throwing the travel plans of thousands of travellers out of gear. Airlines operating from Christchurch airport either cancelled or delayed their flights due to fog.

According to a Christchurch Airport spokesperson, two flights were delayed at 8.40am on Thursday while by 10am the airport's website reported flights coming to Christchurch from Auckland and Nelson were cancelled.

Among the affected airlines were Jetstar, which had to delay its flight from Auckland, and Air New Zealand. The latter had to cancel its flight to Invercargill due to fog and also divert some of them away from Christchurch.


Just three weeks ago, Christchurch airport was rated as the best in a study of 3500 international travellers. New Zealand’s Queenstown Airport was in second position. Madeira Airport in Portugal ranked third with a score of 9.07.

The study, involving 3500 international travellers, focused on airport experiences. Travelers rated airports based on factors like customer service and ease of navigation. Nineteen airports received sufficient reviews for inclusion in the rankings.

The remaining airports in the rankings include Lanzarote, Spain (8.91); Fuerteventura, Spain (8.89); Athens, Greece (8.88); Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain (8.69); Malaga, Spain (8.61); Milan Malpensa, Italy (8.54); Auckland, New Zealand (8.49); Bari, Italy (8.48); Porto, Portugal (8.47); Mauritius (8.33); Lisbon, Portugal (8.32); Tenerife South, Tenerife, Spain, and Catania–Fontanarossa, Italy (8.28); Rome Fiumicino, Italy (8.24); Bergamo, Italy (8.10); and Marrakech, Morocco (7.58).

The study’s methodology, involving a scale of one to 10 based on traveller reviews, provides a quantifiable measure of airport quality.