With a lot of air travel halted planes aren't a common sight over Tauranga's skies at the moment.

Today though, flight enthusiasts were treated to the Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 gracing our skies.

Tauranga Airport manager Ray Dumble says the air force had been doing a standard training flight that happens around three to four times a month.

'They do what's called an interim approach, so they come over head at 3000 or 5000 feet do their interim approach procedure, which is simulating flying in clouds and come down to the missed approach point and off they go.”

A New Zealand Defence Force spokesperson says the air force Boeing 757 has been carrying out training flights around the North Island this week.

'On Wednesday morning, training was carried out around New Plymouth and Tauranga and on Thursday morning flights around New Plymouth and Napier are planned.”

'The aircraft's flight is part of essential pilot and crew training for RNZAF personnel and we will be continuing to do a variety of training over the coming weeks.

'Flying skills are perishable and a failure to maintain core flying currencies increases the risk to flight operations.

'The RNZAF, and New Zealand Defence Force as a whole, must maintain its operational readiness to carry out the tasks required of it by the government, including search and rescue and humanitarian and disaster relief, as well as contributing to the All of Government response to COVID-19.”

'A SunLive reader says it is a pretty cool sight, seeing the 757.”

The RNZAF post on the NZDF Community Alerts Facebook page when they are flying in locations they wouldn't regularly.