Air New Zealand is planning to lease two 777s to cover for 787-9s with Rolls-Royce engines that have maintenance issues, according to chief executive, Christopher Luxon, who spoke with Reuters in Sydney.
“Any one point in time we are planning to have between zero to two aircraft that will be cycling off to have aircraft inspections and/or maintenance,” he is reported to have said. “Therefore we will have two dry-lease aircraft we can operate so we can restore the schedule and keep our customers moving.”
He added that one dry lease had been signed and another should be agreed soon. Air New Zealand is also examining the purchase of future long-haul aircraft to replace its fleet of eight 777-200s.