Dunedin International Airport has been hit with a double whammy this morning, with a bird strike and bad weather combining to halt operations.

The 6.50am Air New Zealand Dunedin to Wellington flight was taking off when it struck a flock of seagulls, airport manager John McCall said.

The take-off was aborted and the aircraft taxied safely back to the terminal. No passengers were injured.

Mr McCall said there was no visible damage but flight engineers would have to inspect the 737-300 before it could be cleared to fly again.

The bad weather has also played havoc with flights this morning.

Only one flight has left this morning and all incoming flights have been cancelled, with some diverted to Christchurch.

Mr McCall said strong southeasterly winds were not allowing water from this morning’s heavy rain to disperse from the runway, making it unsafe.

“While the strong southeasterly winds and rain prevail the situation will remain,” he said.

– nzherald.co.nz