Air NZ may fly Germans home from Canada

Wednesday night asking them to go to Canada.

‘‘Rumour is numbers are bigger now. Maybe as much as 35 flights and 13,000 Germans,’’ the source said, welcoming the fact they would have more work.

Air New Zealand head of corporate affairs Andrew Kirton said the airline was unable to comment on charter flights.

On Wednesday, the airline said it would operate a limited international network from March 30 to May 31 to enable essential travel and keep air freight moving through key cargo corridors to

North America and Asia.

Overall, its international capacity would reduce by 95% from its preCovid19 level.

The first source said the airline could use the returning flights from Frankfurt to Vancouver to get Kiwis back home to New Zealand through Canada.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters it was getting harder for the Government to bring New Zealanders home.

‘‘Ultimately, we are in a position when, unless there are commercial flights operating, it’s almost impossible to bring people home. As you will have heard me say yesterday, the message now is, wherever you are, set yourself up for the time being.’’

Asked why the Government could not put on mercy flights in the way Germany had, the Prime Minister said, ‘‘Keep in mind we are talking about New Zealanders scattered all over the world and what Germany is doing is looking at several thousand Germans in one place.’’

‘‘The window for travel has closed not through any fault of the New Zealand Government.’’

Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters was not immediately available to comment.

Air New Zealand yesterday said it continued to work with the Government to ensure critical cargo transport lines were maintained, and had introduced charter services to every port on its network except London. Its Boeing 7879 Dreamliner can uplift 11 cargo pallets, each weighing up to 4600kg, in each direction it flies.

Shares in the airline were up 3.45% at 90 cents yesterday afternoon. Last week, it was given a

$900 million lifeline by the Government in the form of loans that may convert to equity.

Delta Air Lines Inc and Air New Zealand Ltd said they would offer cargo charter services on passenger planes to boost revenue as the US Senate passed a Bill to give its carriers $US58 billion ($NZ99 billion) in aid, including payroll support.

The passenger travel industry has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.

In an effort to raise muchneeded revenue and keep some planes in the air, Delta and Air New Zealand said they had joined the growing number of carriers offering cargo charters on passenger planes. — Businessdesk/Reuters