ATR Grounding - Media Releases

 

The following are the three media releases Air New Zealand issued yesterday about the grounding of the ATR 72s.

 

18 March 2012

Air New Zealand is inspecting its ATR fleet after hairline cracks were found in the area around the windows of the cockpit in one aircraft during routine overnight maintenance in Christchurch. Aircraft engineers are currently inspecting the ATR fleet of 11 aircraft, which are operated by Mount Cook. Inspections have already been completed on one aircraft in Queenstown with the aircraft meeting all required operational standards and now back in service. Other checks are continuing on the remaining aircraft. The ATR-500 aircraft have been in service with Mt Cook since 1999 and have an average age of 10.9 years. The 68-seat aircraft operates to 10 destinations around New Zealand. Mt Cook General Manager Sarah Williamson said services were cancelled this morning whilst checks across the ATR were undertaken, and alternative arrangements would be made for affected customers. Mt Cook is likely to utilise other aircraft from throughout the Air New Zealand fleet for some operations today. “We apologise to customers for the inevitable inconvenience caused by undertaking a full check of our fleet. However the safety of our customers, our staff and our aircraft is paramount and non-negotiable for the airline.” Customers travelling with Mount Cook are advised to check flight arrivals and departures on Air New Zealand’s website www.airnewzealand.co.nz for the most up to date schedules.

18 March 2012

Air New Zealand has cancelled the majority of ATR services today after hairline cracks were found in the area around windows of the cockpit in one aircraft during routine overnight maintenance in Christchurch. The airline is currently carrying out inspections on its 11 aircraft ATR fleet, which is operated by Mount Cook and these are expected to be completed by late this afternoon. Up to 3000 customers are expected to be affected by today's disruption and alternative travel arrangements are being put in place. Mt Cook will operate services using two ATRs that have already been inspected and are back in service after meeting all operational standards. As a result, there will be some services between Christchurch-Rotorua and Auckland-Palmerston North. An A320 aircraft is also supporting Mount Cook and providing some services between Christchurch-Dunedin and Christchurch-Wellington in order to minimise disruption to passengers. Customers whose flights have been cancelled today are currently being contacted where possible and alternative arrangements made for them, including free-of-charge changes. The ATR-500 aircraft have been in service with Mt Cook since 1999 and have an average age of 10.9 years. The 68-seat aircraft operate to 10 destinations around New Zealand. “We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused by undertaking a full check of our fleet. However, the safety of our customers, our staff and our aircraft is paramount and non-negotiable for the airline," says Mt Cook General Manager Sarah Williamson. Customers travelling with Mount Cook are also advised to check flight arrivals and departures on Air New Zealand’s website www.airnewzealand.co.nz for the most up to date schedules. A further media update will follow at 5pm.

18 March 2012 

Mount Cook Airline expects to operate approximately two thirds of its normal seat capacity tomorrow with three ATR aircraft in service and additional flying from other aircraft in the Air New Zealand fleet. Mount Cook General Manager Sarah Williamson said inspections continue on the rest of the fleet in conjunction with aircraft manufacturer ATR. “We are making good progress. Of our fleet of 11 aircraft, we expect two aircraft to be operating tomorrow; three others require closer examination and five are well advanced in the inspection process. One aircraft was already in the hangar for pre-planned maintenance. “We expect to introduce more aircraft back into service later on Monday.” Air New Zealand today cancelled the majority of ATR services operated by Mount Cook Airline after hairline cracks were found in the area around windows of the cockpit in one aircraft during routine overnight maintenance in Christchurch. Approximately 60 one-way services were cancelled in order for Mount Cook to begin inspections of its full fleet. The cancellations affected around 3000 customers. Air New Zealand recommends that customers who are booked to fly on Mount Cook services tomorrow should visit the Air New Zealand website www.airnewzealand.co.nz to check their flight status, or call the contact centre on 0800 737 000. Flight numbers for Mount Cook begin with the number 5 – e.g. NZ5XXX. Customers whose flights have been cancelled today are currently being contacted where possible and alternative arrangements made for them, including free-of-charge ticket changes. The ATR-500 aircraft have been in service with Mount Cook since 1999 and have an average age of 10.9 years. The 68-seat aircraft operates to 10 destinations around New Zealand. Ms Williamson said the airline regretted the cancellations and the inconvenience it caused. “However the safety of our customers, our staff and our aircraft is paramount and non-negotiable for Mount Cook and Air New Zealand.”