Engine Woes Easing Boosting Domestic Capacity

 

Air New Zealand is boosting capacity on its Auckland – Christchurch, Auckland – Queenstown, and Auckland – Dunedin routes, providing thousands more seats to help keep Kiwi connected. Between 28 June and 25 October, select services across the three routes will be operated by the larger Airbus A321, adding more than 36,000 seats to the network at a time of strong seasonal demand.

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran told the Herald engine availability was a big driver of the expansion... But he said despite strong demand, the airline for a while did not have available aircraft. Some Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce engine maintenance issues have plagued the airline. Foran compared the problem to a league team having players “in the sin bin” and unable to compete at full strength. “As we move from six AOGs or aircraft on ground to five aircraft on ground to four aircraft on ground, we can start to add services and seats in.” Foran said the airline had been able to lease a few more Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines. “It comes at a cost, but we think it’s important that we can start to get a bit more flying into the system,” he said today. “And Pratt & Whitney themselves are returning to us the engines that they are fixing.”