Key regional airlines said on Wednesday that they planned to keep flying to and from New Zealand, even though the country is starting to limit jet fuel after a recent shipment failed government tests.
An official of a national panel of airline representatives, Cath O’Brien, said that airlines have been told that jet fuel supplies at the country’s largest airport, Auckland, will be limited to 75% of what was planned.
But Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines (OTC: SINGY) said they wouldn’t change their schedules right away. So did an official from a major regional airline, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn’t allowed to talk to the media.
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David Morgan, the national carrier’s chief safety officer, said, “We know how important it is to get our customers around our network before Christmas, and our team is working hard to make sure we can do that.”
He also said that there were no plans to change the schedule right now.
A representative for Singapore Airlines said that the company was working closely with the government to find out if operations would be affected. “At this time, there are no changes to our scheduled operations,” the representative said.
Z Energy, the importer that supplies about 40% of New Zealand’s transportation fuels, said that routine tests done on Monday found conductivity levels that were above regulatory limits. However, tests are done en route and when the fuel arrived had not shown any problems.
A company representative told Reuters that Z Energy is thinking about what to do, such as ordering a new shipment.
Most of the suspicious fuel will be sent to a refinery in another country to be cleaned up. Marsden Point, which is north of Auckland, used to be New Zealand’s only refinery. In April, it was turned into an import-only terminal.
The next shipment is scheduled to arrive on December 12, and it will be ready to use by December 18.
O’Brien said that regional airlines would lessen the effect of fewer supplies by loading more fuel in places like Australia. Long-haul airlines, on the other hand, would have to think about making refueling stops or trading cargo for more fuel.
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“So, while it’s possible, it’s not easy, and it’s not cheap,” said O’Brien, the executive director of the Board of Airline Representatives of New Zealand.