A passenger was deplaned on an Air New Zealand flight to Samoa over “security risk” yesterday. This was confirmed by New Zealand media. The flight in question was NZ990 from Auckland to Apia.
An Air NZ spokesperson said the passenger was “offloaded,” and “all checked bags, carry-on bags, and passengers were re-screened”.
Aviation security also had to check the aircraft.
The commotion resulted in the flight being delayed by around four hours.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this caused our passengers. We take all security incidents seriously,” the airline said.
Police said it had been reported a threatening comment had been made by a passenger.
“We have established that the comment was a misunderstanding, and no threats were identified,” Senior Sergeant Wendy Pickering said.
“These matters are taken seriously, so police appreciated passengers’ cooperation while resolving this matter.”
