Thousands hit as Air NZ grounds aircraft

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand passengers face a second day of travel disruption, after the grounding of its 11 ATR aircraft due to safety concerns.

About 60 one-way services were cancelled yesterday, affecting up to 3000 people across New Zealand.

Air New Zealand cancelled most  ATR services operated by Mount Cook Airline after hairline cracks were found in the area around the windows of the cockpit in one aircraft during routine overnight maintenance.

The flights, mostly to regional centres, were cancelled by the airline so all aircraft could be inspected.

Captain David Morgan, general manager airline operations and safety, said nearly two-thirds of Mt Cook Airlines normal operations were expected to operate today.

Two ATR aircraft were flying now, with a further three expected back by the end of today.

An Airbus A320 had been brought in and would be operating on some key routes, particularly through Queenstown and Hamilton, Morgan told Radio New Zealand.

A Boeing 737 would also be doing extra flying between Christchurch and Wellington.

Other affected customers would be put on to alternative Air New Zealand services as necessary.

The ATR manufacturer had told Air New Zealand it was aware of the cracks issue, and had been advising the airline on how to carry out repairs.

“We don’t actually believe it’s a significant airworthiness issue for the airplane itself. It’s not in a part of the structure that is load bearing,” Morgan said.

The ATR-500 aircraft have been in service with Mount Cook Airline since 1999 and have an average age of 10.9 years.

The 68-seat aircraft operate to 10 destinations around New Zealand, including Dunedin and Invercargill.