The airline's troubled ‘non-stop’ service between New York and Auckland will now fly the entire distance direct as intended, despite passengers on the upcoming flight previously being warned of a stopover.

The Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft used for various roles, including reconnaissance and search and rescue. It’s a military variant initially based on Boeing’s workhorse narrow-body 737 Next Generation.

This is not the first time the new service has run into complications with its nonstop promise. A previous flight asked 15 passengers to leave the aircraft while another removed luggage so it could make the trip.

It comes after the South Africa service was “temporarily paused” earlier this month as the airline looked to solve biosecurity and customs conditions with government departments.