Air New Zealand: Auckland fuel supply issue
17-Sep-2017 The temporary shut-down of Refining New Zealand's pipeline into Auckland is currently impacting all airlines operating into and out of Auckland Airport and limiting the volume of jet fuel able to be uplifted. Air New Zealand is currently working through the implications for its operations over coming days and is putting a range of measures in place. These will include:
- Cancelling some domestic and Tasman services to consolidate passenger loads
- Ensuring domestic jet services uplift maximum fuel limits when operating out of Wellington or Christchurch to reduce fuel requirements ex Auckland
- Requiring some long-haul services to and from Asia and North America to undertake refueling stops at selected Pacific or Australian airports
Air New Zealand Chief Operations Integrity & Standards Officer Captain David Morgan says, "Unfortunately this is an industry wide issue caused by the physical failure of an essential fuel pipeline. We are doing all we can to minimise the impact on our operations and on our customers, however, we do ask for patience and understanding at this time. We thank our customers in advance for their cooperation."
Any necessary schedule changes will be communicated to affected customers directly.
Customers currently booked to travel into or out of Auckland over the coming week are advised to keep an eye on the Travel Alerts page of the Air New Zealand website for the latest information.