Travellers to and from Queenstown faced a chaotic end to the school holidays after reports of an explosive device shut down the airport, led to cancelled flights and left travellers stranded.
The terminal was cleared as a safety precaution shortly after half-past eight this morning.
The nearby Events Centre was opened up as a holding pen for disrupted travellers, waiting for hours to get the all-clear to go back to the terminal.
The Defence Force disposal unit has since given an all clear and the airport reopened at 3pm.
But after a day of missed flights, stranded passengers aren't sure when they'll get home.
Tess Brunton is in Queenstown.
Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry speaks to Lisa Owen.
Air New Zealand is looking at putting on extra flights for passengers stranded in Queenstown.
17 of its domestic services were cancelled due to the security incident.
Earlier weather disruptions and the school holidays meant existing flights were already very full.
Air NZ says its teams are still rebooking customers to get them where they need to be, including looking at recovery flight options.
Once its able to confirm extra flights, customers who are able to be rebooked on these services will be contacted directly through the Air New Zealand app or via email.
