A Thursday morning flight from Invercargill to Christchurch has been cancelled after a hydraulic issue was identified before departure.

Hydraulic fluid was reportedly seen leaking from under the aircraft.

Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren told chrislynchmedia.com, “Flight NZ5704 was cancelled after a hydraulic issue was identified prior to departure.”

“Customers disembarked safely and our engineers are inspecting the aircraft before it returns to service,” Marren said.

“We apologise for the disruption and are working to get customers to their destinations as soon as possible.

“We thank them for their patience and understanding.”