Passengers on a Malaysia Airlines flight delayed by more than 42 hours due to a mechanical fault are stranded at Auckland Airport because all nearby accommodation is booked out for Adele.
People were sleeping on chairs in the airport's KFC overnight with their luggage around them as they waited to catch the Kuala Lumpur-bound flight, the father of one passenger told the Herald.
Teeseang Tan had already made four trips to and from the airport to collect and drop off his daughter Adeleine.
"Initially we went back because the reschedule was 7.55am. Then no joy, they gave us another time of 3 o'clock."
After returning for a second time they found out the flight had been delayed again.
An Auckland Airport staff member confirmed flight MH132 was supposed to leave at 12.55am on Saturday but is now delayed until 7pm Sunday.
Malaysia Airlines did not alert Mr Tan or his daughter to the further delays by text or email and they only found out after arriving back at the airport, Mr Tan said.
No accommodation had been offered to passengers despite the major delay, just two $20 vouchers to buy food and drink, he said.
"[The airline] said accommodation is full because of Adele's concert."
Mr Tan had been speaking to a group of about 20 older Malaysian passengers who had been forced to sleep in chairs around the airport's food court.
"I asked them were you offered accommodation and food, they said no," he said.
"They're not taking care of the passengers and not looking after us. If they know there's going to be a long delay they should supply passengers with accommodation."
Mr Tan's daughter, who had flown to Auckland from Wellington on the first leg of a trip heading to Malaysia and India, was lucky because her parents lived in the city and could put her up during the delay.
"It's a pity for other passengers," Mr Tan said.
He and his daughter felt communication from the airline had been poor, saying they'd had to initiate every phone call and email chain.
They were trying to get the airline to put Adeleine on a different flight.
Malaysia Airlines has been approached for comment.
A staff member for Menzies Aviation, which handles the airline's flights on the ground at Auckland Airport, declined to comment.
