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

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