By 3 News online staff
Flights are resuming at Auckland Airport after thick fog swamped the runways and interrupted the travel plans of hundreds of people.
There is still a severe backlog of passengers, with 36 domestic flights disrupted this morning. Around 200 were delayed or cancelled on Thursday.
Fourteen departing Auckland and 14 which were due to arrive in Auckland were cancelled, according to the Auckland Airport website.
Low visibility procedures were lifted at 9:10am and normal operations have now begun to resume. But there may be further delays as the backlog of passengers clears.
Two international flights leaving Auckland Airport have been rescheduled.
Auckland Airport say staff are working closely with airlines to manage the situation.
“We appreciate how frustrating this is for any affected travellers and we thank them for their patience and understanding,” a spokesperson says.
Fog is also causing problems at airports in Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin.
About 15 flights departing Hamilton and Christchurch airports have also been cancelled.
Travellers are advised to check with their airline for possible delays.
WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the fog will clear when the wind picks up.
"We need the breeze to move in and clear this fog away - it failed to arrived yesterday in any widespread way across Auckland and Waikato which is why some areas never saw the fog lift".
Mr Duncan says the most recent forecast guidance data suggests the fog could linger again for a while today in some areas.
Thousands of travellers were affected by yesterday’s fog, with 200 domestic and 36 international flights delayed or cancelled.
Auckland Airport says the fog season at the airport is usually between May and September and the fog usually lasts from early morning until around 9.30am to 12pm.
During fog the airport works with air traffic control and the airlines to continually monitor where the fog is and the visibility on the air field.
Auckland Airport has equipment in place that permits certain capable jet aircraft to land during foggy conditions.
3 News