Air New Zealand Suspends International Routes

Air New Zealand has announced plans to suspend specific international routes because ongoing engine issues are affecting its operations.

Adjustments To International Routes

Air New Zealand has announced it’ll pull the plug on service towards Hobart, Tasmania, from April 5, 2024.

Away from Hobart, the airline will also suspend service to Seoul, South Korea.

These international route changes are a forced response to the ongoing Pratt & Whitney engine crisis.

Air New Zealand Aircraft Facing Problems

The New Zealand flag carrier previously announced it would slash its upcoming flight schedule as it faced aircraft issues.

The airline identified these issues again in July 2023. This came after Pratt & Whitney, the engine manufacturer, said a condition was affecting its engines.

The Geared Turbofan engine was slated to be affected, and it is used on aircraft worldwide.

Pratt & Whitney said 700 engines globally would be affected over the next few years, with adverse effects on airlines’ fleets.

Uncertainty about when inspections would occur has made it tricky for airlines to respond to this crisis.

Air New Zealand has 17 A320/A321neo in its 108-aircraft fleet, according to a statement from the carrier. These new engine options are used for missions, including New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Islands operations.

Comments From Executive

We’ve been able to reorganise most of our schedule by consolidating some flying and moving aircraft to different routes. Most customers whose flights have been changed will still fly on the same day, some on international flights will be reaccommodated to services a day either side of their original booking and some may have a cabin change due to a different aircraft being used.

Air New Zealand has 17 A320/321NEO aircraft in its fleet of 108 aircraft, serving Australia, the Pacific Islands and domestic New Zealand. While this maintenance issue does not present a safety issue, it has caused Air New Zealand to revise its flight schedule as a result of adjustments made to the engine maintenance plan.

Air New Zealand chief executive officer, Greg Foran

Why Are Routes Being Cut?

Air New Zealand says it is suspending service to Hobart and Seoul to build more resilience. This will be noticeable when the Trent 1000 engines equipped on the 787 fleet go for maintenance.

The airline also flags the availability of spare Rolls-Royce engines to cover these maintenance periods as another potential concern.

Air New Zealand says the airline didn’t cut the two routes because of poor operational performance, noting they have been successful.

The airline’s priority is to ensure its entire service is reliable and robust as it navigates these issues.

Air New Zealand plans to ground up to four A320neo aircraft powered by GTF engines at any point. A process that’ll continue for a couple of years.