Eagle Grounding Continues

Most of Eagle Air's Beech 1900 are still grounded and the latest media release tends to indicate things will continue up to and including next Tuesday (August 14),. Looking at the arrivals and departures on the Air New Zealand website shows the airline is trying its best to move its passengers today... A glimpse at a few movements...

• Timaru... three Beech 1900 flights replaced by a Q300 flight
• Hokitika... four Beech 1900 flights replaced by two Q300 flights
• Westport... operating as normal
• Blenheim... only two Beech 1900 flights operating by services to Wellington being operated with Q300s and an ATR
• Wanganui... all flights cancelled with the exception of Vincent Aviation's Jetstream service
• Taupo... a single Beech 1900 flight to operating to Auckland instead of two and a single Beech 1900 flight to operating to Wellington instead of three
• Gisborne... seven Beech 1900 flights cancelled with an ATR operating a service to and from Wellingon
• Whangarei... four flights cancelled, five still operating
• Kerikeri... three Beech 1900 flights cancelled, two Q300 flights operating.

All flights to Wanaka, Masterton and Kaitaia have been cancelled.

Meanwhile the Wanganui Chronicle needs to match up their story and photo... they have a picture of Air National's Jetstream at Christchurch after the hijacking incident... Surely it can't be too hard to find an Air New Zealand Link Beech 1900! See : http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/eagle-air-safety-checks-affect-1000/1498320/

Eagle's Beech 1900 experienced a similar grounding in 2007 after an issue was discovered with an undercarriage component... see : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10466025