Jake Nelson

Speaking to Australian Aviation in Auckland this week, CEO Greg Foran said he is “increasingly optimistic” that Pratt & Whitney, which makes the trouble-plagued PW1100G-JM engines on Air New Zealand’s A320/21neo aircraft, will soon work through its maintenance problems.

In its latest Domestic Airline Competition report, the competition watchdog said strong ongoing demand for flights, coupled with limited competition on domestic routes, have contributed to strong financial results for both major airline groups in the first half of 2024-25.

ZK-NZH touched down in Brisbane shortly after 11am on Monday as flight NZ145 from Auckland, with a full load of passengers on board. The plane, which was the first Dreamliner in the world to undergo a full refit from nose to tail, then returned to Auckland to fly on to San Francisco.

The Flying Kangaroo will operate four 737-800 flights per week from 31 October 2025 to 3 May 2026, marking the first time it has flown internationally from the South Australian capital since 2013. It comes as the airline also opens its refreshed domestic lounge at Adelaide Airport.

Renae and Stephanie Evans, who claimed to have suffered psychological trauma and spinal injuries when their plane suddenly dropped amid severe clear-air turbulence on board Air Canada Flight 33 from Vancouver to Sydney on 11 July 2019, had appealed for higher compensation from the airline.

A record high of 4.32 million international passengers passed through its terminals in the first quarter of 2025, up 3.9 per cent on the same quarter in 2024, as well as 6.08 million domestic and regional passengers for a total of 10.4 million.