Watch: Map reveals ghost skies above North Island as more than 300 flights cancelled

An aviation map of the North Island has revealed a “ghost sky” amid more than 300 flight cancellations with Cyclone Gabrielle.

Monday morning is usually a busy time in the skies above Auckland, with domestic flights in full swing, alongside trans-Tasman departures and a raft of overnight long-haul flights that make early morning landings.

However, this morning was a very different story – with few commercial flights logged in the upper North Island.

All of Air New Zealand’s turboprop flights to, from or through Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Taupō are cancelled until midday Tuesday, as well as all domestic jet services into and out of Auckland.

That’s alongside widespread cancellations from Auckland to Australia and the Pacific, alongside a number of long haul services that have also been ditched.

In total more than 300 flights on Monday and Tuesday have been cancelled, with tens of thousands of passengers affected.

But a few planes have managed to fly, despite strong winds. Data from FlightRadar24 reveals two Qantas flights took off from Auckland on Monday morning headed across the Tasman.

A few aircraft also made it into Auckland this morning, including long-haul Air NZ flights from Singapore, San Francisco and Los Angeles. A flight from New York was diverted to the Cook Islands.

Other airlines that had flights arrive included LATAM from Santiago, and an early morning Jetstar flight from Melbourne.

Most aviation activity in the upper North Island has, however, been rescue helicopter operations.

The last time skies above Auckland were this empty was briefly during Auckland Airport’s closure from flooding last month, and during the Covid-19 lockdowns.