Travelers have been warned not to go to Auckland International Airport unless a flight is confirmed as bad weather continues.

About 25,000 people are expected to take international flights to and from Auckland on Monday.

Auckland Airport encourages only international travelers scheduled to fly on the same day to come to the terminal.

With airline schedules disrupted following a 37-hour international travel shutdown, Auckland Airport is flooding its international terminals as travelers try to rebook canceled flights.

Auckland Airport CEO Carrie Hurihanganui said: “We know that travelers who have been hit by the consequences of this natural disaster with international flights suspended are tired and wanting to get where they need to go.”

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“We appreciate that it takes some people time to reschedule their flights and that travel delays can cause frustration and pain. Our goal is to get people home as quickly as possible, but the reality is that the impact of severe flooding is a huge cluster of flights to go through. The terminals are really busy and it will take some time for normal international operations to fully speed up again.

“It would be really helpful if travelers could wait for same-day flight reservations and reschedules before coming to the international terminal, if possible, so that the meet-and-greets could use our waiting area or pick-up/drop-off location. farewell.

“These measures will help reduce congestion at the terminals and focus on the task of getting people home as quickly as possible.”

More than 20,000 travelers started their journey on Sunday with 41 international departures and 39 international arrivals. About 25,000 international travelers are expected to arrive at or depart from Auckland Airport on Monday, with 61 inbound and 61 outbound flights.

A volunteer force of over 100 Auckland Airport employees continues to assist travelers and stranded passengers. So far, we have distributed over 2300 hot meals, over 700 blankets, thousands of bottles of water and provided diapers and baby food where needed. .

A party of 30 stayed the night at Marae at Auckland Airport, following a group of 30 travelers who slept in Hwarenui on Saturday night. The airport customer team also assisted about 80 people who stayed overnight at the terminal.

“For those who have no choice but to spend the night in the international terminal, we are trying to make your stay as comfortable as possible with blankets, snacks and water. I know it’s not perfect, but I’m doing my best to make it a little more bearable.”

Auckland flooding is causing confusion and long delays for passengers around the world as one airline initially informed customers that the airport would be closed for a month.

Wellington couple Martin and Bee Laing said they were frustrated by the confusing message they received from German airline Lufthansa.

The couple planned to celebrate their 20th anniversary by taking a five-week vacation in California and Europe before returning home to Auckland via Lufthansa from Frankfurt via Singapore.

However, 40 minutes before the flight’s departure, Lufthansa staff were informed that the flight from Singapore to Auckland had been cancelled.