An unusual sight could be seen on the tarmac at Christchurch Airport this morning as two Lufthansa planes prepared to fly home thousands of German tourists stranded in New Zealand following the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
It comes as the German government’s Federal Foreign Office moved to repatriate 12,000 German nationals and tourists unable to leave New Zealand after the March 25 lockdown, Stuff reports.
Air New Zealand and two German airlines, Lufthansa and Condor, have offered flights home for the stranded tourists.
The Lufthansa Group has so far flown home more than 70,000 people on 360 flights from 77 different airports since mid-March. A further 55 flights are expected.
On Facebook, Christchurch Airport called the presence of the two Lufthansa Boeing 747 planes a "rare sight".
Five Airbus A380s with 509 seats each and five Boeing 747s with 371 seats each, along with more than 200 crew members, would fly from Auckland and Christchurch to Bangkok before continuing on to Frankfurt, Lufthansa said in a press release.
A Lufthansa flight from Christchurch has since departed for Frankfurt, the German Embassy Wellington confirmed on Facebook this morning.
"Thanks to Christchurch International Airport, Christchurch City Council, New Zealand Police, Aviation Security, Ground Handling, Air New Zealand and Lufthansa for [a] great and successful team effort," the Embassy said in a Facebook post.
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