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Air New Zealand has returned its final Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from long-term storage, ending a period in which Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine shortages left part of its widebody fleet grounded.
For the first time since the global engine supply issues began, the airline has no widebody aircraft in storage. At the peak of the disruption, five of its 14 Boeing 787-9 aircraft were out of service.
Air New Zealand general manager fleet Baden Smith says the milestone is another step towards restoring the airline’s full Dreamliner fleet.
“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.
“This additional capacity opens up opportunities across our network, including our recently announced services between Christchurch and Singapore, Tokyo and Perth.”
Fleet project lead Robert Cox says the aircraft were stored in Alice Springs while engines were removed and overhauled, allowing the airline to return aircraft to service more quickly.
Air New Zealand’s narrowbody fleet is also nearing full availability, with two Airbus A320neo aircraft remaining grounded because of Pratt & Whitney engine issues, down from six at the peak of the disruption.
