It seems that airports and airplanes are becoming THE place for making proposals, and surprisingly, most of them seem to get that all-important and very public Yes for an answer. The high-risk strategy has scored another bullseye recently, this time in the arrivals hall of Auckland Aiport, the international gateway to New Zealand.

The things that happen in airports

Auckland Airport (AKL) was a co-conspirator for this proposal and told the world about it in a statement today. The question was asked over the airport's PA system - who said romance was dead - using a pre-recorded message from the nervous would-be groom who was actually lurking nearby.

Photo: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock

The Auckland man, Yashraj Chhabra, had approached the airport to see if it would be part of his plot, although he said he wasn't sure the airport would join in. To his surprise it did and he recorded a rather touching message that ended with "Will you marry me?"

As Riiya Shukla walked into the arrivals hall after arriving on a flight from Melbourne, the airport staff pressed play on the recorded message calling for her attention and posed the big question over the public address system. Chhabra then appeared, dropped to one knee and presented her with the ring.......and she said yes, much to the delight of friends and family who were apparently in on the plot and onlookers who had worked out what was going on.

A little background

The couple have been friends for around eight years and recently became boyfriend/girlfriend and are now (very publicly) engaged. Chhabra said he was incredibly nervous asking the question publicly at the airport, but he wanted to do something special to make it memorable for his girlfriend, who currently lives in Melbourne.

"She's a hard woman to surprise and I really wanted to catch her off guard. I wasn't sure if Auckland Airport would go for it but I was delighted they said yes to making my dream proposal become a reality. Like any nervous guy about to do something a bit crazy like this, I'm so pleased and hugely relieved she said yes."

The bride-to-be is from Auckland and now plans to relocate back to the city from Melbourne so the pair can start their lives together. In a breathtakingly strong endorsement of Chhabra's plot, she said she was in awe her partner managed such a big surprise, adding:

"He literally made my dream come true with this beautiful proposal. What a whirlwind, stepping off the plane and coming home to such a special moment. I am so excited and can't wait to make our wedding happen."

Of course, no good deed should go unrewarded, and as the happy couple is planning a wedding ceremony in India followed by a party in Auckland, the airport will hopefully see some increased traffic when the big day arrives. Chief Operations Officer Chloe Surridge said the airport was pleased to get behind the unique marriage proposal.

"The Auckland Airport arrivals hall is something quite special - it's often a really emotional place and carries a lot of nostalgic memories. We have teary goodbyes, joyful returns and now a successful marriage proposal added to the list. We've really enjoyed being part of the fun."

Would this be something you might try or would have liked to have tried? Let us know in the comment section.