Emirates flight from Dubai to Auckland flies for 13 hours, lands where it took off from

An international flight from Dubai to Auckland covered thousands of miles but instead of landing at its scheduled destination went back to Dubai after remaining in the air for around 13 hours. Read on to know what led to this bizarre episode.

Hyderabad: Passengers of an Emirates flight had a frustrating time when the Dubai-Auckland plane they boarded landed back at the same airport after flying for over 13 hours. Reports said that Flight EK448 took off at around 10:30 am UAE time on January 27. After covering half of the total distance of almost 9000 miles, the pilot had to make a U-turn and go back to Dubai where the flight landed around midnight on January 28.

The reason for the delay was severe flooding at Auckland Airport caused by a massive downpour due to which the airport had to be shut down over the weekend. Videos on social media showed passengers wading through water at the airport. Auckland Airport authorities took to Twitter and said that "it is extremely frustrating" but important with regards to the safety of the passengers.

"Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority," they said. Furthermore, they said that no international departures could take place until 5 am on January 29. The airport authorities added, "No international passenger arrivals at Auckland Airport until 7 am, Sunday 29 January."

• Did you know the Auckland airport is the only airport in the world to have an immersive underwater experience in the terminal?
  
  Brilliant architecture! pic.twitter.com/2weSzlMSQd

  — STØNΞ | Roo Troop (@MorganStoneee) January 27, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Did you know the Auckland airport is the only airport in the world to have an immersive underwater experience in the terminal?
  
  Brilliant architecture! pic.twitter.com/2weSzlMSQd

  — STØNΞ | Roo Troop (@MorganStoneee) January 27, 2023

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  Did you know the Auckland airport is the only airport in the world to have an immersive underwater experience in the terminal?
  
  Brilliant architecture! pic.twitter.com/2weSzlMSQd

  — STØNΞ | Roo Troop (@MorganStoneee) January 27, 2023

• Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority.

  — Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) January 28, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority.

  — Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) January 28, 2023

  ">

  Auckland Airport has been assessing the damage to our international terminal and unfortunately determined that no international flights can operate today. We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority.

  — Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) January 28, 2023

Auckland as per local reports had to declare a state of emergency after torrential rain prompted widespread flooding and evacuations. The country's national meteorological service, MetService, issued Red Heavy Rain Warning for the Auckland area overnight and recorded 249mm of rain in 24 hours until 1 AM on Saturday.

The record rainfall caused massive flooding to houses and properties, forcing the closure of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Airport. One person was found dead in flood in North Shore, Auckland. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has announced a state of emergency. The Xinhua news agency reported that three evacuation centres were established to accommodate people affected by the rain and flood.