News
Air New Zealand is grounding passenger flights on its Boeing 777 flights until April next year, as it plans for a slow gradual entry back into international travel.
Chief revenue officer Cam Wallace told Executive Traveller that use of the 777 fleet would depend how quickly borders reopen.
The website is reporting an internal staff memo which confirms the 777s, which are a key part of the airline’s long haul fleet, would not be used on passenger flights for a year.
Wallace also said orders for the latest model of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners have been pushed back slightly.
And while there has not been an announcement yet, the chances of starting the non-stop services to New York in October look slim.
The airline is operating a skeleton service domestically and to a few overseas destinations, as well as freight services.
It is steadily working through moves to make a third of its workforce redundant and so has so far been paid $70 million through the government wage subsidy scheme.
The airline has battened down hatches as it restructures and relies on a $900 million government loan to see it through the immediate future.
Source: rnz.co.nz Republished by arrangement.