British & Irish Lions Fans May Fly Out Of Wellington As Soon As Test Concludes

Eight plane-loads of British & Irish Lions fans "look set to fly out of Wellington as soon as next month's test match finishes, because the capital has run out of accommodation," according to Tom Hunt of STUFF. Wellington Airport applied to have "late-night domestic departures after its midnight curfew on July 1," when the All Blacks play the Lions at Westpac Stadium. The eight charter flights -- three to Christchurch and five to Auckland -- are scheduled to leave before midnight but "may be delayed because of difficulties getting passengers boarded after such a large event." As many as 1,100 "big-spending" fans will not be staying the night in Wellington, and will "instead head for hotels in Auckland and Christchurch." According to the airport's resource consent application for a waiver to the curfew, there is a "shortage of accommodation in the capital to deal with the large number of tourists coming to town" (STUFF, 6/8).