First of Air NZ’s Boeing 777-200ERs departs for desert
The first of Air Zealand’s eight Boeing 777-200ERs was to leave Auckland last night to be ‘‘preserved’’ in the dry heat of a Californian desert.
The aircraft’s departure could mark the end of an era for Air New Zealand, with a question mark hanging over whether the 777-200ERs will return to service with the national carrier.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 on international air travel demand, airlines around the world have been parking surplus planes at desert storage facilities.
Air New Zealand’s fleet of eight 777-200ERs and seven 777-300ERs have been largely grounded since March and will remain so for at least another year.
Some of Air New Zealand’s 777-300ERs have already made their journey to the desert, with three remaining in New Zealand, in case they need to be called on.
The older and slightly smaller 777-200ERs, which have been written down by $338 million, will be sent to long-term storage facilities in both Roswell, New Mexico and Victorville, California.
The first, registration number ZK-OKH, was due to leave Auckland last night. It will be kept at Victorville.
For Air New Zealand aircraft maintenance manager Brent Foote it will be the fourth fleet of Air New Zealand aircraft he has sent to desert storage in the 20-odd years he’s worked at the airline.
He has previously seen off the Boeing 737, Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 fleets.
Air New Zealand took delivery of its first 777-200ER in 2005 and the fleet now has an average age of nearly 14 years. ZK-OKH was delivered around 2007. Foote said they were an ‘‘extremely reliable’’ plane. ‘‘It’s fair to say they’re predictable aircraft.’’
The preservation process usually took two weeks and about 500 labour hours to complete, he said. The three 777-300ERs remaining in New Zealand would be kept in ‘‘a more prepared state of readiness’’, he said.