A passenger plane flying from Auckland to Shanghai was forced to turn back after some five hours in the air because it did not have permission to land, officials said Sunday. Passengers said the captain informed them mid-flight the Air New Zealand plane was not allowed to land in China and would have to go back.

The airline said in a statement that "a technicality meant the particular aircraft operating this service did not have Chinese regulatory authority to land in China". After returning to Auckland, the airline texted passengers to say the flight had been rescheduled and would depart Sunday night.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019