WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Air New Zealand has temporarily suspended its flights from Auckland to Chicago for at least seven months due to maintenance requirements on engines.
The carrier announced on Tuesday that it would halt its non-stop Auckland to Chicago service starting from March 31. The decision is attributed to challenges related to the availability of serviceable Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The airline flies three Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes on the major route.
Air New Zealand explained the issue in a statement to the press: 'Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines normally require heavy maintenance, where they are taken off the aircraft and sent to the offshore manufacturer for inspection, after 1000 engine cycles (take-offs and landings). During regular inspections, Air New Zealand engineers identified that the engines required maintenance after 750-850 cycles.'
'Rolls-Royce has been unable to provide Air New Zealand with spare or replacement engines to deliver the level of service needed, leading to a reduction in the amount of flying Air New Zealand can deliver via its 787 fleet.'
Although up to three aircraft will be unavailable for an extended period, Air New Zealand plans to maintain its schedule of up to 35 flights weekly to six destinations across the U.S. and Canada. The carrier's fleet, which included 14 Boeing 787 jets, totaled 105 aircraft as of the end of October.
Chief customer officer Leanne Geraghty said: 'It's not a decision we've made lightly and we're sorry to make this change so close to the time some customers plan to fly.'
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