Air New Zealand set to resume flying after Cyclone Gabrielle passes

13 February 2023
  • Auckland jet services will begin from mid-morning Tuesday
  • Turboprop services will begin from mid-afternoon Tuesday
  • 11 domestic flights have been added to the schedule to help with recovery efforts with more to come
  • 10,000 international customers were disrupted, with 6,500 left to be rebooked
  • Air New Zealand working to add capacity to bring disrupted international customers home as quickly as possible

Based on current weather predictions for Auckland Airport, Air New Zealand intends to resume domestic and international jet operations from mid-morning tomorrow, and turboprop operations from mid-afternoon.

Following the cancellation of 509 flights, the airline is now focusing its efforts on getting disrupted passengers back into the skies as quickly as possible.

Air New Zealand's Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says with 10,000 of its international customers impacted by the cyclone, every available effort is being made to rebook them.

"Rebooking is well underway with around 6,500 customers left to be rebooked as of this morning. Customers are currently being rebooked onto the next available service to give them certainty they have a flight booked."

"Because flights are very full, some customers may receive a notification saying they won't depart for up to 20 days after their original booking. We want to assure those customers we now have teams working to get them on an earlier flight – it's our top priority."

"As we did during the Auckland flooding, we will be adding larger aircraft to routes, working with our star alliance partners, converting cargo flights to passenger flights, and adding additional services where possible into the ports where we need them the most".

The airline has added 11 domestic services into its schedule as well as changing six services to a larger aircraft, with more expected to be added over the coming days. 

"We want to once again thank our customers for their patience while we work through the impact of another weather event that has meant a significant rebooking event for the airline. Getting customers to their destination safely and as quickly as possible is our top priority".

Air New Zealand's service from New York will take off from Rarotonga tomorrow morning, also carrying customers who couldn't leave in the Cook Islands due to Cyclone Gabrielle's impact on the airline's operations. Customers impacted by the cyclone related domestic cancellations who have not already made use of the flexibility policy will have their fares put into credit and are able to rebook on alternative services via the Air New Zealand website.

Customers who booked through a travel agent or third-party online agent should contact them directly about making changes to their bookings or credit validity.

The airline's Travel Alerts page has the most up to date information on operating flights.

The airline is focused on managing these impacts for our customers and will not be able to provide specific flight details at this time.

Footage of the airline's Turboprops being stored for the cyclone can be found here.

 

Ends 

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications. 
 
Email: media@airnz.co.nz  │  Phone: +64 21 747 320  │  Twitter: @AirNZMedia 

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.

Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework  helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.

 

About Star Alliance

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.