What’s going on with Air New Zealand’s turboprop plane ZK-NFA?
AIANZ CE Simon Wallace is asked for comment when Air New Zealand found a fault that caused one of its turboprop aircraft to turn back three times in a week.
[Simon Wallace at the] Aviation Industry Association said safety was paramount in the sector.
“In this instance Air NZ would have followed Civil Aviation Authority requirements with the pilot returning to the closest port, in this case it was Auckland,” AIANZ chief executive Simon Wallace said.
“This demonstrates the importance all pilots put on the safety of their passengers and crew.”
“Air NZ engineering is of the highest calibre, as is all aircraft engineering and maintenance in New Zealand.”
In October, research from AIANZ said New Zealand was short more than 200 engineers each year.
“What this means is it may take a little longer for an aircraft to return to service while it is being maintained. Some airlines overseas have postponed or cancelled services because of a shortage of engineers and/or pilots and this is coming at an inconvenience to the travelling public,”
He said AIANZ was in talks with Government ministers about getting more support to train aviation engineers including more funded places at tertiary institutions.
“Engineers are crucial to the aviation industry. Without them our planes don’t fly. We know existing shortages are already biting and we are very keen to work with government and the industry to help address this.”