An Italian Air Force Hercules returned to Christchurch Airport on Friday morning, just over four hours after departing, with the reason for its return yet to be confirmed.

The Lockheed C130J Hercules, registered MM62191, departed at 6.39am and landed back in Christchurch at 10.53am.

An Airways spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com: “Aircraft MM62191 returned to Christchurch Airport this morning and requested a landing at around 10.50am.”

The spokesperson referred further questions to the aircraft operator.

A Christchurch Airport spokesperson said the airport had not been told why the aircraft returned and had forwarded an enquiry to the US Antarctic Program team based at the airport.

The program’s NZ Operations Manager Marie Heist said they had “no comment” on the flight at this stage.

“‘Boomerangs’ are a normal part of Antarctic aviation and can occur due to a large number of reasons,” Heist told chrislynchmedia.com.

(Antarctic flights sometimes return to Christchurch before reaching the continent, a manoeuvre known as a “boomerang”. The New Zealand Defence Force has previously said these returns are not uncommon at the start or end of the season because of weather conditions.)

However, the destination and purpose of Friday morning’s flight have not yet been confirmed.

The Italian Air Force has an established role supporting Antarctic research operations from Christchurch, transporting personnel, equipment and supplies to the continent.

Its Hercules aircraft have operated between Christchurch and both Italy’s Mario Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay and the American McMurdo Station.

In a separate incident on August 18, a US Air Force C17 Globemaster using the call sign ICE28 returned to Christchurch during the winter fly-in period after departing for McMurdo Station. It landed at 11.29am, after two hours and 27 minutes in the air.

That turnaround followed a Civil Aviation Authority warning about potentially hazardous space activity. The authority told chrislynchmedia.com the warning was based on information supplied by the Russian Air Traffic Management Corporation. It subsequently said the notification concerned a planned missile launch and an associated potential hazard to international airspace.

There is no confirmed connection between that incident and Friday’s return, and no confirmation that the Italian aircraft encountered a weather issue, airspace warning or technical problem.

More soon.