An Air New Zealand flight to Auckland was delayed for an hour at Fua'amotu International Airport this afternoon, April 20 due to a breach in security.

Sue Gardiner, the General of Manager of Forum Travel in Nuku'alofa told Matangi Tonga this afternoon, that the 110 passengers who had boarded the aircraft were disembarked.

She did not comment on "what the security breach was" but said that the airline followed normal procedures, and disembarked passengers in order for them to be re-screened through security to ensure that the aircraft was sterile.

"The safety and security of our passengers is our utmost priority and we must re-screen everyone that is on the aircraft," she said.

Viliami Ma'ake the Acting CEO of the Tonga Airports Ltd said he was looking into the security breach, and would be talking to his employees who were working on this flight to find out what happened.

However, some passengers who were disembarked said that the late arrival of two passengers, who boarded the aircraft after going through the airport's VIP area, prompted the security breach because they had apparently not gone through the proper security screening.

Passengers on the flight included some parliamentarians who had been attending a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting in Nuku'alofa.

The flight that was scheduled to depart Tonga at 12:10pm, was delayed for an hour and had since arrived safely into Auckland.