How Air New Zealand Masterfully Piloted a Boeing 777 with a Fuselage Tear

Air New Zealand sent one of its Boeing 777-300ER planes back from Australia after the aircraft bumped into a jet bridge, causing a minor dent near the cockpit windows towards the end of May.

Even though an incident occurred on the ground leading to a three-day suspension of operations in Australia, the airline stated that there have been only minor disturbances to flights because the wide-body aircraft was already due for maintenance.

Returning Home

On May 25, an Air New Zealand flight was scheduled fordeparture 777-300ER, registered under ZK-OKN, took off from Brisbane Airport (BNE) on flight NZ6000, a distinctive flight number that the airline hadn’t utilized in over 90 days previously, heading towards Auckland Airport (AKL).

Despite hitting a jet bridge during ground operations and sustaining subsequent damage, the airplane flew at an approximate cruising altitude of 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) or lower. This allowed the pilots to slowly navigate the plane back to New Zealand without needing to pressurize the empty 777-300ER, as it had neither passengers nor freight aboard.

Following a three-hour and 29-minute flight, the aircraft landed in Auckland at 20:18 local time (UTC +13). In comparison, the regularly scheduled itinerary from Brisbane to Auckland, flight NZ146, takes around two and a half hours, according to Flightradar24 records.

Hole Below The Cockpit

On May 22, a 777-300ER experienced a ground collision with a jetway in Brisbane. During pushback operations, the jetway pierced the aircraft's fuselage near the nose, resulting in a 7-centimeter (2.7-inch) hole situated close to where the captain's window is located, as reported. Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

In a statement to the public service broadcaster, Nathan McGraw, the Chief Safety and Risk Officer of Air New Zealand, said that the airline’s engineers consulted with Boeing on how to appropriately repair the aircraft, which resulted in the plan to return the 777-300ER to Auckland.

McGraw stated that the plane heading to New Zealand wouldn’t have any passengers or freight onboard. He also mentioned that the 777-300ER would traverse the Tasman Sea without pressurization, adding that this wasn’t an issue because the aircraft was due for extensive servicing in Singapore anyway. Despite this, Flight NZ145 from Brisbane to Auckland got cancelled on May 22, but all passengers were transferred to alternative routes.

14-Year-Old 777-300ER

According to Ch-aviation data, Boeing handed over the specific 777-300ER to Air New Zealand on February 15, 2011, following its initial flight on February 8, 2011. By September 30, 2024, this airline-operated wide-body plane had accumulated 56,821 flight hours and completed 6,928 flights, as per information sourced from Boeing’s records.

According to Ch-Aviation estimates, since then, the airframe has logged another 344 flight cycles, adding up to an extra 2,712 flight hours for the Boeing 777-300ER model as of April 30. Overall, Air New Zealand operates a fleet consisting of ten 777-300ER planes, with ZK-OKN standing out as their third oldest within this group. Notably, they have decommissioned one plane, designated ZK-OKT, which is currently flying under Taiwanese ownership. EVA Air.

Even though they are quite old, with the average age of the 777-300ER fleet being 13.1 years, Air New Zealand stated that they plan to update these planes with brand-new business-class seating. They expect the initial aircraft equipped with these upgraded interiors will be operational by late 2026, based on information from the airline’s financial report for the first half of fiscal year 2025. During this reporting period, the company concluded operations with a net profit totaling NZD106 million ($63.6 million) despite carrying 3% fewer travelers compared to last year.

In an interview with Executive Traveller Jeremy O'Brien, who serves as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Air New Zealand, stated that the airline intends to retain its 777-300ERs for an additional five years at minimum. The company plans to use only 787s as their wide-body planes starting from the 2030s. At present, Air New Zealand operates with a fleet including 14 such aircraft. 787-9 Aircraft, with an additional five scheduled for delivery from Boeing; the aircraft manufacturer will also provide three more. 787-10s. The incoming 787 aircraft, Unlike its present Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-equipped Dreamliners, these aircraft will use GE Aerospace GEnx engines instead.