Engine checks disrupt Air NZ flights
Thousands of Air New Zealand passengers will be affected by an international aviation order issued due to faulty engines fitted to some Boeing Dreamliners.
The national carrier is carrying out checks on some of its engines, and yesterday rescheduled a number of international services and cancelled a small number of services through to the middle of next week, affecting about 6500 passengers in total.
Air New Zealand said it was working with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce on a global issue involving some Trent 1000 engines that power its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet made up of 11 aircraft.
Airlines that operate a type of Trent 1000 engine known as ‘‘Package C’’ have been ordered the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) to carry out earlier than usual maintenance checks on a specific part of the engine compressor.
Further disruption to Air New Zealand’s schedule would be determined after engine checks had been completed on Friday evening.
Air New Zealand customer experience general manager Anita Hawthorne said the airline was doing all it could to minimise the impact on its customers.
‘‘This is a particularly busy time on our network and we are conscious many Kiwis are heading away for the school holidays.,’’ Hawthorne said.
‘‘We sincerely apologise for any disruption to our customers’ travel plans and we thank them for their patience.’’
Customers affected by the changes were being contacted directly by Air New Zealand or by travel agents they booked through.
The airline was expecting a high demand for its contact centre and advised customers to avoid calling unless necessary.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s air transport and airworthiness deputy director, Mark Hughes, said it was working closely with EASA.
House of Travel commercial director Brent Thomas said it was not clear how long the flight disruptions would last. ‘‘It’s a day-byday, week-by-week proposition.’’
It put travel agents in a tricky position, he said, because they could not tell customers whether the disruptions would affect them or not, a bit like the Icelandic volcanic eruption of 2010.