Air NZ grounds ATR fleet
Air New Zealand has grounded its fleet of ATR aircraft after hairline cracks were found in cockpit windows during an inspection.
The cracks were discovered during routine maintenance in Christchurch, leading to all 11 of the turboprop aircraft being taken out of service. All grounded ATRs are operated by Air NZ’s regional subsidiary Mount Cook Airline. Two of the ATRs have since been returned to service.
The 68-seat ATR72-500 fleet operated by Mount Cook have an average age of 10.9 years and fly to 10 destinations around New Zealand.
Mount Cook General Manager Sarah Williamson said that up to 3,000 customers were affected on Sunday, and that a further 2,000 would be hit 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,” Ms Williamson said.
Air NZ will provide an Airbus A320 to replace the ATRs today on the Wellington-Dunedin, Christchurch-Hamilton, Christchurch-Wellington, Christchurch-Dunedin and Christchurch-Queenstown routes.
Of Mount Cook’s total fleet of 11 aircraft, two are currently operating and a further five are “well advanced in the inspection process”, according to Air NZ.
“We are making good progress. Of our fleet of 11 aircraft,” MS Williamson said. “We expect to introduce more aircraft back into service later on Monday.”