Auckland Airport says no to fans' welcome for Tonga team should they return ^Featured

It said on Friday the team would transfer straight from its flight to a bus and leave without going through the domestic terminal.

About 3500 fans welcomed the team on their arrival in Auckland from Tonga on October 30 and the airport company says it cannot accommodate such a fan event should the team qualify for the semifinal in their game against Lebanon in Christchurch this weekend.

The semifinal in Auckland is on November 25.

"Auckland Airport says the decision to transfer the team this way has been made due to the airport's domestic terminal passenger flows and because there is not a suitable space in the domestic terminal for a large number of fans to gather and greet the team without causing disruption to other passengers and airport operations," airport communications manager Lisa Mulitalo said.

"The airport understands the pride the Tongan community has in their team and was proud to support the welcome event on the team's arrival into New Zealand on October 30 where approximately 3500 supporters came to greet the team and a special area was set up in the check-in area to cater for the large crowd. However, in this instance we need to ensure that the domestic terminal operates as efficiently as possible and cannot accommodate a fan event welcoming the team back to Auckland."

Earlier reports had about 2000 people welcoming the team at the airport wth singing and dancing. A junior Tonga team performed the Sipi Tau, to which the senior side responded in kind.

- Stuff