Air New Zealand Dreamliner Returns To Auckland Due To Anti-Ice Problem

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July 6, 2024 1:16 PM

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Two and a half hours into its service from Auckland to Hong Kong, an Air New Zealand flight had to return home due to a required inspection of the anti-ice function in one of its engines. Flight NZ81, operated by a Boeing 787-9, was flying over the Coral Sea, northeast of Brisbane, when the crew made the decision to turn back. Carriers typically prefer returning to their home base rather than a foreign port because they have access to their dedicated maintenance team and necessary spare parts.

On Thursday, July 4, Flight NZ81 was set to leave Auckland International Airport (AKL) at 10:45 for a scheduled ten-and-a-half-hour journey to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). However, the flight departed at 11:51, and the new expected arrival time at HKG was 18:20.

Departing over an hour late, the flight ascended quickly to a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet and traveled along the Northland Coast between Norfolk and Lord Howe Island, according to Flightradar24. Upon passing New Caledonia and over the Coral Sea, the captain observed discrepancies in one of the Trent 1000 engines’ anti-ice functions and opted to return to Auckland. The aircraft landed back in Auckland six hours after takeoff, at approximately 17:50 local time.

This incident was the second instance in a week where a flight from the Star Alliance carrier had to return mid-journey. Earlier that week, an Air New Zealand flight bound for Shanghai had to turn back to Auckland after it was found to be ‘using more oil than usual.’ The passengers of flight NZ289 ended up on a nine-hour flight to nowhere, only to return to Auckland for an inspection. They were re-accommodated on another service. Neither flight compromised the safety of passengers or crew.

Regarding fleet details, Air New Zealand operates 14 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with an average age of around 7.5 years. The airline also has two more on order and plans to introduce the 787-10 variant to replace its older 777-300ER aircraft, which includes seven owned and two leased from Cathay Pacific.

The aircraft involved in the incident was the 787-9, registered as ZK-NZI with serial number 37965. Delivered to the airline on July 27, 2016, and initially registered in the US as N4580D, it took its first test flight on July 1, 2016. It is configured with 18 business class, 21 premium, and 263 economy class seats, and is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.