At approximately 0840 local time on 6 October 2023 (1940 UTC on 5 October), authorities evacuated Queenstown Airport (NZQN/ZQN) in southern New Zealand due to a potential bomb threat. All passengers were evacuated from the airport terminal as a precaution while a bomb disposal unit deployed and investigated a suspicious device. The incident forced Air New Zealand to cancel at least 15 flights, and several inbound flights were diverted to nearby airports. The airport reopened at about 1500 local time after officials determined that the suspicious item posed no threat.