An Air New Zealand plane that left Auckland bound for Wellington has been turned back due to an engine issue.

“Flight NZ401 Auckland to Wellington returned to Auckland this morning due to an engineering issue, as standard operating procedure,” said Air NZ chief operating officer Alex Marren.

Marren said the flight was cancelled and all customers had been rebooked to travel today.

“We apologise for any inconvenience and thank customers for their understanding.”

Newstalk ZB’s political editor Jason Walls, who was aboard the flight, said they got about 25 minutes into the flight when the plane started turning.

“The captain told us that one of the engines was vibrating a bit too much than is usual. We were told it was nothing to worry about but they were going back anyway.

“There was a collective groan as the plane swung around and the captain told us we were heading back into Auckland.

“When we touched back down, everyone flocked to the check-in desk but, due to the weather, there were no flights available until later tonight.”

An image from flight tracking site Flightrader shows Air New Zealand flight NZ401 turning back. Photo / Flightrader 24

Nearly 60 domestic flights to and from Auckland were disrupted due to fog this morning.

A fog restriction was in place at the airport for almost four hours before being lifted around 9.20am.

Walls described the scenes at Auckland airport as “already chaotic”.

Twenty-seven domestic flights were delayed and a further 30 were cancelled.