An Air New Zealand flight from Dunedin to Christchurch had to turn around and land back in Ōtepoti after less than 20 minutes in the air on Monday due to the actions of a number of passengers onboard the flight.
Air NZ said the return to Dunedin was due to a medical emergency, however Aviation Security Services told Newshub it understood three passengers on board the flight were intoxicated and the flight returned.
"AvSec were not involved, Airport Police dealt with the unruly passengers," it said in a statement.
Police confirmed they assisted medical and airline staff at the scene.
"We will be making follow up enquiries to determine the circumstances around the incident and whether any offence was caused," a spokesperson said.
Flight NZ5752 departed Dunedin at 3:15pm on Monday before returning to the city. Passengers eventually made their way to Christchurch later in the afternoon.
