Air New Zealand restricts flight bookings as fuel shortages continue
Air New Zealand says it has been forced to take ‘an unusual step’ in restricting flight tickets due to the ongoing jet fuel crisis at Auckland.
It has completely halted ticket sales for some international routes.
More flight flights are cancelled for Wednesday, including international services to Australia, Fiji and Vietnam, impacting about 3,000 passengers.
The pipeline between a refinery and storage depot was ruptured last week, causing major supply shortages at the airport and local petrol stations.
Refining New Zealand said its pipeline will be fully operational again by September 24-26, and the airport will again get fuel supplies a day later.
"The government is continuing to identify and implement a range of measures to free up the movement of fuel to where it is needed, and minimise disruption to Kiwis and visitors," resources minister Judith Collins said.
"We’re moving on several fronts in transport to do everything possible to improve supply."
So far about 70 domestic and international flights have been cancelled at Auckland and all government staff and public employees were ordered to cancel all non-essential travel from the airport.
Airlines had been restricted to only 30% of their normal jet fuel allowance at Auckland Airport, while some carriers had got around this by making refuelling stops elsewhere.
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