AirNZ defends tour go-ahead

Air New Zealand’s decision to staff its chartered Southern Lights flight with international crew has raised the eyebrows of at least one staffer.

Tour company Viva Expeditions has chartered a Boeing 787 for the keen aurora hunters as they chase the Southern Lights on March 20.

A staff member raised concerns there would only be a three- to four-day turnaround. Air NZ has defended the move, stating it’s an “average of six days”.

They said the crew would be flying in from a variety of Covid-19 hot-spot ports including Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

“These crew will be transporting people in that same time frame, returning home, getting a test, hopefully a negative result, then within three or four days operating a domestic flight.

“I’m sure [passengers] won’t know that the crew have just returned from overseas.”

The source said Air NZ protocols did not allow crew to a domestic, or green, flight without 14 days’ stand down after a red flight.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the crew involved would have an “average period of six days since their last duty”.

“We have significant precautions in place for aircrew operating to international destinations to keep themselves and others safe, which our crew take very seriously. Aircrew who operate from high-risk destinations — currently Los Angeles and San Francisco — are required to isolate in a hotel for at least 48 hours on return to New Zealand and return a negative Covid-19 test before returning to work.” International aircrew were subject to various testing regimes.