Pilots on flight from Auckland to Fiji’s Nadi alerted to engineering troubles, plane turned around

An Auckland flight bound for Nadi in Fiji has been turned around after engineering difficulties.

Air New Zealand flight NZ952 returned to Auckland yesterday afternoon after its pilots were alerted to an unknown “engineering requirement” mid-air.

Flight radar shows the Nadi bound flight was turned back around to Auckland about halfway through its route. Photo / Flight Radar

Affected passengers were rebooked to fly out at 9.40am today.

Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw told the Herald it was the best decision in terms of safety.

“The aircraft will undergo an inspection before being cleared to return to service.

“All customers have been rebooked to travel to Nadi today. We apologise for the disruption to travel plans and appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding.

“The safety of our customers and crew is our utmost priority.”

The plane was a Boeing 777-319 model.

Air New Zealand only serves one flight per day from Auckland to Nadi, with the route usually taking three hours.