Air New Zealand welcomes return of final Boeing 787-9 from long term storage

Air New Zealand welcomed (05-Jul-2026) its final Boeing 787-9 from long term storage, representing "a major milestone" in the carrier's response to "one of the most significant global supply chain challenges facing aviation in recent years". Air New Zealand has no widebody aircraft in storage for the first time since the global Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine shortage began impacting aircraft availability. At the peak of the shortage, the carrier had five of its 14 Boeing 787-9s grounded. Air New Zealand's narrowbody fleet is also nearly back in full service, with two A320neo aircraft currently grounded due to challenges with Pratt & Whitney engines - down from six at the peak of the disruption. Air New Zealand GM fleet Baden Smith said: "With the completion of our retrofit programme and the delivery of our two new Boeing 787-9 aircraft by the end of this year, we'll see targeted growth in widebody capacity over the next two years", adding: "This additional capacity opens up opportunities across our network, including our recently announced services between Christchurch and Singapore, Tokyo and Perth". [more - original PR]