Airlines hit by bad aviation fuel in Wellington again

An Air New Zealand Airbus A320 taking off from Wellington Airport. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Airlines have been hit by another problem with fuel in Wellington in the lead-up to Christmas.

Air New Zealand says it will have to cut back on fuel it takes on at Wellington Airport by 25 per cent until Christmas Day.

The airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, David Morgan, said it did not expect any disruption as a result.

The fuel company consortium supplying Wellington Airport says the “matter is being addressed with the highest priority.”

Airlines were hit by a bad batch of aviation fuel in Auckland in the lead-up to Christmas last year, which did lead to disruption.

Morgan said a fuel shipment that arrived in Wellington on December 14 was found to be off specification after failing freeze-point tests.

Because of this, Air New Zealand will be running at 75 per cent fuel allocation until 12am on December 25.

The next scheduled fuel delivery is expected on January 1 with the fuel ready for use on January 3, “test results pending”, Morgan said in a statement to the Herald.

While Air New Zealand has only issued a statement with some bare details, there is growing frustration within the airline and the aviation sector at what is now the fourth known case of bad fuel imported into the country.

New Zealand used to refine its own aviation fuel at Marsden Point, but since the closure of the refinery, it has been imported to ports around the country direct from overseas refineries, mainly in Asia.

Since November 2022, there have been three jet fuel shipments which have failed to meet testing requirements upon arrival in New Zealand.

• November 2022 – failure relating to water content.
• December 2022 – failure relating to conductivity requirements.
• April 2023 – failure relating to freezing point.
• December 2023 - failure relating to freezing point.

A shortage of fuel in Tauranga in May also angered airlines.

The Board of Airline Representatives said earlier this year that the April problem forced airlines to carry additional fuel into Wellington from other locations, a process known as tankering.

It can mean carrying up to six tonnes of fuel from Auckland to Wellington on a narrow-body aircraft.

Carrying this extra fuel also requires extra fuel to cover that weight – so airlines are burning extra fuel to carry fuel.

"As a geographically isolated island nation, New Zealand needs to do all it can to ensure the fuel we receive meets requirements for use on arrival. Airlines should not be put in the position of needing to tanker aviation fuel to be able to operate domestic and international services," the board said earlier this year.

ExxonMobil and BP supply aviation fuel in Wellington.

A statement from ExxonMobil said the companies were working to put alternative supply arrangements in place to manage potential impacts.

As a precaution, there would be temporary rationing.

“This matter is being addressed with the highest priority, and operational updates will continue to be provided until the normal supply of jet fuel to Wellington Airport has been restored,” the statement said.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing, and individual fuel suppliers are keeping airline customers and stakeholders informed.”

Grant Bradley has worked at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.