A sunday-afternoon flight from Wellington got an un-expected detour when Hugh Pearce Air New Zealands flight operations chief reported engine troubles (about 60 mins after take-off)
The Airbus A320 carrying passengers to Sydney made a quick-thinking landing at Auckland airport round 5:20pm local time; the crew shut-down one engine mid-flight as safety measure. The aircraft touched-down without any problems
Air NZʼs current situation shows a wider pattern: last month they warned about lower-than-normal profits for early-2025 due to tech problems. The Auckland-based airlines network includes:
- Domestic New Zealand routes
- Australia connections
- Pacific Island destinations
- Asian flight paths
- North American services
The company runs a big-sized fleet of 108 planes that help connect New Zealand with these far-reaching spots; however recurring engine issues keep affecting their day-to-day work
Flight NZ249 from Wellington to Sydney experienced an engine issue about an hour into the flight