Trucks cart fuel as crisis worsens

Military tanker drivers will assist in Auckland’s fuel crisis, but the Government has warned it is powerless to prevent flight disruption.

Since Sunday, Auckland Airport has been rationing jet fuel, after a digger searching for swamp kauri damaged the pipeline that supplies almost all fuel to New Zealand’s largest city.

Airlines are allowed to draw only 30 per cent of their normal uptake from Auckland. While extra fuel is being carried by planes flying from Christchurch and Wellington, dozens of flights have been cancelled.

Last night, Air New Zealand, which has already cancelled some trans-Tasman and domestic flights, said it was not meeting the 30 per cent target, forcing another 22 flights to be cancelled over the next two days.

Tourism Minister Paula Bennett admitted the situation was ‘‘embarrassing’’ for New Zealand.

All long-haul flights leaving Auckland are being forced to have unexpected refuelling stopovers in Christchurch, Australia and even Fiji.

A major trucking effort is under way to deliver enough petrol and diesel from Mt Maunganui and Marsden Point to Auckland, to keep service stations in supply.

Mobile New Zealand manager Andrew McNaught said the industry was confident that there would be little disruption for service stations.

The Government is providing assistance, with up to 20 military fuel tanker drivers providing relief for civilian drivers, while a navy vessel will deliver diesel around New Zealand to allow the fuel industry to focus on Auckland.

But the disruption for aviation will continue for at least another week until the pipeline is repaired.

Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said the scale of demand from large planes meant trucking fuel to the airport would make a ‘‘negligible’’ difference.

‘‘It would take about eight truckloads to fill one plane on a long-haul flight,’’ Collins said. ‘‘The volume involved in long-haul flights is immense.’’

The incident raises awkward questions about New Zealand’s infrastructure. Although the pipeline is usually reliable, the vulnerability was well known.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern called on National to ‘‘come clean over its failure to secure a fuel supply for the airport’’.