Trent troubles force Air NZ 787-9s to make refuelling stops

Air New Zealand’s services to the US and Japan have been affected by issues with some of its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines on its Boeing 787-9s. “Weight restrictions included in an FAA directive issued last week mean some Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights to Asian destinations will be required to make refuelling stops,” says the carrier. Routes affected include Los Angeles and Houston, services to Tokyo Haneda, and some trans-Tsasman and Pacific island flights. “Depending on en-route weather conditions, some flights may not be able to depart with all the fuel they require, prompting the need for the fuel stop. Over the weekend, 787-9 flights made fuel stops at Sydney, Cairns, Darwin and Guam.” David Morgan, chief operational integrity and standards officer, said: “Having the flexibility to make a short fuel stop means we are more likely to be able to take a full contingent of customers and cargo. The alternative would see us potentially having to disappoint significant numbers of customers by moving them to later flights. We are committed to doing everything possible to avoid this, particularly during this busy school holiday travel period.” Overall, 9000 passengers will be impacted by the refuelling stop issue, which the carrier says is less than 3% of customers.<br/>