Air NZ’s New York to Auckland service grounded by fuel leak

Auckland-bound travellers heading out of New York with Air New Zealand have been stranded in the Big Apple after the aircraft being used was grounded with a fuel leak.

It’s the latest disruption to the airline’s route, after the cancellation of services both ways earlier this month because of bad weather.

Air New Zealand flight NZ1, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that flies from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Auckland, was meant to depart at 9.55pm (local time) on July 19.

However, the flight was cancelled after the discovery of a “minor, intermittent fuel leak” during routine pre-departure checks and crew duty limitations, Air New Zealand’s chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said.

“Our team on the ground in New York are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.

“We have scheduled a replacement flight for July 21, which all affected customers are being rebooked on.

Air New Zealand's July 19 flight from New York City to Auckland was cancelled because of a fuel leak. Photo / 123rf

“We sincerely apologise to our customers for the disruption to their plans and thank them for their understanding.”

One affected person told the Herald that passengers who were booked on the July 19 flight were frustrated about how long it took for them to discover the fate of their flight.

A scramble then ensued to book hotel rooms for those hit by the delays.

At the start of July passengers leaving Auckland on flight NZ2 spent a night in Washington DC after thunderstorms and air traffic constraints in New York forced their plane to divert.

Flights on the Auckland-New York route were also cancelled earlier this month after bad weather disrupted the plane's flight schedule. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The weather disruption led to some scheduled NZ1 and NZ2 flights being cancelled in the days after.

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