More than 200 Korean Air passengers and crew were caught up in an avian flu scare at Auckland International Airport on Nov. 13.

St John Ambulance staff received a call from airport authorities during the morning alerting them that a passenger with a high fever was on board a Boeing 747 arriving from South Korea.

The case turned out to be suspected gastroenteritis, and a 57-year-old woman is in hospital in a stable condition.

But because the woman's symptoms were so similar to those of avian flu, everyone was quarantined on board the plane for an hour while paramedics wearing protection gear assessed all 223 passengers as well as cabin crew.

Korean Air's manager at Auckland airport, Henry Cha, says 13 passengers and five staff were asked to fill out quarantine forms because of their proximity to the ill woman.