Air New Zealand To Remove Boeing 777s

Air New Zealand will remove three Boeing 777-300ERs by 2028, acquired on a dry lease, as its Boeing 787 operation finally stabilizes.

The move by the New Zealand flag-carrier, first flagged by ch-aviation and following the airline’s FY26 annual results, comes as the Boeing 787 Dreamliners, long impacted by groundings, return to service.

Furthermore, despite exploring ways to delay deliveries of these widebodies as financial pressure mounts, the airline remains more optimistic than during the period when the 787-9s were forced to be parked.

Leased Boeing 777s To Leave Air New Zealand

Fresh reporting states that the phase-out of the three Boeing 777-300ERs will be completed by 2028, with these acquired under the dry lease between late 2023 and 2024, when additional widebody capacity was needed as many 787-9s were unavailable due to reliability issues.

These Boeing 777-300ERs had served their purpose as a temporary solution to capacity woes and were separate from the core 777-300ER operation. Acquiring the aircraft on a dry lease did not overcomplicate matters, given the airline’s familiarity with the aircraft.

As of 30 April 2026, the airline said its fleet included 10 777-300ERs and 14 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The leased component of the widebody fleet was aircraft previously operating with Cathay Pacific and, as such, had a cabin that matched the Hong Kong-based carrier.

Under the agreement, Air New Zealand could place the widebody aircraft into service as quickly as possible while using its own cabin crew under the contractual terms. These lease transactions often give companies needing immediate capacity the quickest path to handover, rather than trying to speed up new-build deliveries.

Boeing 777-300ERs Were Only A Short-Term Solution

The first leased Boeing 777-300ER entered the Air New Zealand fleet in November 2023 under a three-year operating deal with Air Lease Corporation and was registered as ZK-OKU, having flown with Cathay Pacific before then.

By early 2024, after the delivery of the first 777-300ER, Air New Zealand had begun ramping up handovers, with plans for two more dry-leased 777-300ERs. At the time, the chief extuviece greg Foran, said that the second and third leases had separate contracts, with the latter a four-year agreement.

With Boeing 787s out of service due to Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 durability issues, and these engines facing lengthy wait times for inspections or maintenance at shops, the flag-carrier’s active fleet had shrunk and needed coverage.

The Boeing 777-300ER lease was therefore only expected to be a short-term solution to the capacity problem. To build a reliable fleet for the future, the 787s were seen as a vital piece of the puzzle into the late 2020s and 2030s; once stability could be achieved, the plan was to return these older 777s.

Despite volatility from the breakout of conflict in the Middle East, the number of Boeing 787s in long-term storage has fallen dramatically, and the restoration of capacity has meant that the need for the 777-300ERs and the associated cost implications have subsided, as intended.