Kiwi flag carrier Air New Zealand has celebrated its final grounded Boeing 787-9 returning to service, after almost a year spent in Alice Springs as the aircraft battled the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine saga. For the airline, clearing this hurdle is hopefully the last chapter in the global engine shortage and will enable the airline to now operate its full fleet of Dreamliner airplanes.
At its peak, the disruption saw a total of five of Air NZ’s 14 Dreamliners grounded, which saw a significant drop in total capacity on long-haul routes, and saw the need for the airline to wet-lease a Boeing 777-300ER which used to belong to Cathay Pacific. ZK-NZD, the final 787 to be returned from storage, is now in active service.
Air New Zealand’s Final 787-9 Aircraft Is Now Back In Service
During the downtime, Air NZ also set out to complete its retrofit programme, updating the onboard fitout on the aircraft as the airline introduced a new business and premium economy cabin, while adding several enhancements to economy. All 787-9s are expected to be fitted with the new interiors by the end of this year. Additionally, this year the airline will accept delivery of two more 787-9 airplanes, which will support the airline’s targeted growth in widebody operations.
With extra aircraft now available, this has allowed the airline to resume several international services, such as long-haul operations from the country’s second busiest international airport, Christchurch Airport (CHC), where the airline plans to operate thrice-weekly services from the Garden City to Perth International Airport (PER), Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT). Air New Zealand’s General Manager Strategy, Networks and Fleet, Baden Smith, explained to NZ news outlet Stuff:
“With the completion of our retrofit programme and the delivery of our two new Boeing 787-9 aircraft by the end of this year, we’ll see targeted growth in widebody capacity over the next two years.”
A Ferry Flight Back From The Australian Desert
The final Dreamliner to return to service is that of ZK-NZD, which, reviewing flight data, shows it was ferried to Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage at Alice Springs (ASP) on September 12, 2025. This is where the plane was preserved as engine issues were managed, and left the Star Alliance carrier without one of its widebody planes.
ZK-NZD was ferried back to the airline’s hub of Auckland on June 28, where it flew as NZ6022 departing at 11:33 AM for the four-hour and 34-minute flight to Auckland Airport (AKL). The plane arrived in Auckland at 6:38 PM, where it then remained on the ground for just over 48 hours before returning to scheduled service as NZ8 to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Since then, the plane has operated scheduled flights to the likes of Rarotonga (RAR), Nadi (NAN), Brisbane (BNE), and Perth without issue or any schedule disruption.
Premium cabins set to soar on new Boeing 787s.
Working With Asia Pacific Storage To Support Engines And Overhaul
During the plane’s time away, Air NZ worked closely with Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage to manage the removal of the Trent 1000 engines to send them away for overhaul. This work undertaken in Alice Springs allowed the airline to avoid significant logistical challenges, and shaved up to six months of downtime for the airplane.
ZK-NZD, the final plane to return to service, has an age of 12 years, 11 months old and took its first test flight in November 2013 before being delivered to Air NZ in July 2015. Further aircraft characteristics below as per ch-aviation:
Air NZ’s total jet fleet is made up of 61 airplanes, including the 777-300ER, 787-9, A320ceo, and A321neo, which support the airline’s domestic jet and international operations. Regional domestic flights are operated with a fleet of 54 airplanes made up of ATR 72-600 and Q300 airplanes. With Air NZ now with its full suite of widebody jets, it will be exciting to see if more international routes are announced this year.
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