Air New Zealand preparing for 'bumpy few weeks' as it braces for Omicron wave

Air New Zealand CE Greg Foran says despite being prepared for an Omicron outbreak the airline is bracing for “a bumpy few weeks” with Covid-19 infections and isolation requirements expected to impact staffing levels. Meanwhile, an airline representative group says it is concerned that significant disruptions will occur to flights and the aviation network as a whole if close contact isolation times are not reduced by the Government. Omicron outbreaks overseas have wreaked havoc in the aviation sector with airlines having to cancel flights because crew were needing to isolate due to Covid-19 infection, or being a close contact of a case. On Sunday Foran said, after an Air New Zealand crew member tested positive for Omicron, about 15 crew had been stood down as close contacts. On Monday he said that other crew members were showing Covid-19 symptoms, and he expected more cases to be confirmed. As of Tuesday morning there had been no further positive cases at Air New Zealand, and no more had been stood down, a spokeswoman for the airline said. Foran said Air New Zealand had planned for the impact Omicron would have on the business, both from staff illness and isolation requirements. “To be prepared is half the victory but regardless we will need to hold on tight as I know it will be a bumpy few weeks,” Foran said. The airline was discussing with the Government how critical workers were going to be handled in terms of stand-down time and testing, he said. “If we need to stand down close contacts for 14 days, you can see how this reduces your staff count pretty quickly.” E tū union head of aviation Savage said for an airline like Air New Zealand, cabin crew could not just swap back and forth between aircraft types. “They’re trained to operate certain aircraft, and it takes time to retrain,” Savage said.<br/>