The epidemic crisis severely affected the operations of Air New Zealand, which outnumbered other companies due to New Zealand government-specific health restrictions, forcing the airline to land its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
But almost 600 days later, with the opening of borders in New Zealand, the company is reactivating its largest aircraft.
As reported by the media ItemsOn February 8, Air New Zealand reactivated the Boeing 777-300ER, registered under the registration number ZK-OKQ, and conducted a test flight before returning to business service at the age of 10 on average. His last operation was on a flight from Melbourne (MEL) to Auckland (AKL) in June 2020.
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The ZK-OKQ, two other Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, have been protected in Auckland (AKL) until the return of international flights, and the General Electric GE90 engines have suffered corrosion due to the weather in the New Zealand capital. Problems.
Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will resume service on trunk routes to Australia and Los Angeles (LAX). The first flight will be between Auckland (AKL) and Melbourne (MEL) on February 10. As passenger demand increases, the company will review the resumption of remaining flights.
After almost 600 days of sleep, FlyAirNZ‘S flagship aircraft B777-300ER took off today for a test flight and will return to service on international routes this weekend. ZK-OKQ will initially fly between NZ, Australia and Los Angeles
IG / Rashmi 777 pic.twitter.com/lq1HLGA5ze– Auckland Airport (AKL_Airport) February 8, 2022
Andrew Ridling, president of the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association (NZALPA), says pilots have been training for months to re-launch the Boeing 777-300ER.
As part of Air New Zealand’s naval overhaul, the Boeing 777-300ER will be replaced by the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner by 2027, allowing the company to standardize its long-haul aircraft.
See also: Air New Zealand is retiring its entire Boeing 777-300ER fleet
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