UPDATED 10.20am An Air Force Boeing 757 has landed safely at Whenuapai Air Force Airport this morning after it prepared for an emergency landing.
“The aircraft has landed safely. An investigation into the incident will be held and no further comment will be made until that is complete," said New Zealand Defence Force spokeswoman Anna Norman.
Emergency services raced to Whenuapai Air Force base where the 757 made several passes of the runway but had not yet attempted a landing.
Fire Services northern shift manager Jaron Phillips said the plane, with 31 people on board, had a punctured tyre.
Four fire crews, police and ambulance were at the base on standby.
An RNZAF spokesman said a Boeing “experienced vibrations on take off” from Whenuapai Airforce Base this morning.
“The crew are currently conducting standard checks to identify obvious problems and intend landing at Whenuapai shortly as per procedure.”
The plane had been circling Auckland’s West Coast soon after take off.
Base Operations at Whenuapai said it was too busy to discuss today’s emergency and referred calls to NZDF media.
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