An Air New Zealand flight to Auckland diverts to Melbourne because of disruptive passenger

Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An Air New Zealand flight bound for Auckland, New Zealand, from Perth, Australia, has been forced to divert after a passenger became disruptive. The airline says the flight landed instead in the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday morning, where police officers awaited the aircraft. The flight continued to Auckland after a 90-minute delay. Air New Zealand did not give more details about the episode. The diversion came less than a week after another Air New Zealand flight was held on the tarmac upon arrival in Sydney for two hours following a reported threat.