New Zealand's reliance on imported jet fuel has put its largest airport in a precarious position. The latest delivery was rejected at Marsden Point during its unloading. Airlines are now expected to operate with only 75% of their usual allocation if operating from Auckland International Airport.Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have signaled no immediate change in their schedule. However, American Airlines was the first carrier to make changes yesterday. The Dallas-based carrier will operate via Christchurch four times this week to refuel before heading home to the United States.Being the first of four Christchurch rotations, the American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (N834AA) made the below trip to Christchurch yesterday, December 12th:
- AA9779 departed Auckland International Airport (AKL) at 11:01, arriving at Christchurch International Airport (CHC) at 12:01
- AA9780 departed Christchurch International Airport (CHC) at 14:11, arriving at Auckland International Airport (AKL) at 15:18
- AA34 departed Auckland International Airport (AKL) at 17:03, arriving at Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport (DFW) at 10:50 the same day
It's worth noting that AA34, due to the diversion, departed Auckland almost three and a half hours behind its usual schedule, and travelers can expect similar delays on the schedule for the rest of the week.
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Only currently affecting departures from Auckland Airport
The rejected fuel shipment at Marsden Point will only affect flights operating from Auckland Airport, with other airports across the country not yet being required to ration their fuel reserves. Marsden Point was the country's only oil refinery. However, it shut its doors in April this year, now requiring all fuel to be refined offshore.
What is fuel rationing?
Fuel rationing is more common than you may think, as different ports face shortages due to quality, geographical isolation, and political factors.
Due to New Zealand's remoteness, this situation does raise logistical issues for airlines. This is why American Airlines has likely decided to divert via Christchurch (where no rationing is currently in place) to collect fuel for the journey home to Dallas.
During the unloading of the batch, 25 million liters (6.6 million gallons) were bound for Z Energy. The batch was rejected during routine testing, whereas 16 million liters (4.23 million gallons) were rejected and returned for further refining. The 9 million liters (2.37 million gallons) already unloaded will be blended with superior fuel.
New Zealand should receive its next fuel shipment by December 12th. However, fuel rationing is expected to stay until at least December 18th.
Local industries have panicked.
Brent Thomas, Cheif Executive of New Zealand-based House of Travel, has commented on the concerns that fuel rationing could have, should flights and schedules be restricted:
"We are in a situation that we need to know from the airlines as soon as possible, but to be fair to them I don't think they've got all the information to make those decisions at this stage."
"It's the busiest time of year of travel... flights are running at over 90 percent [full] ... we've got unprecedented demand with a lack of supply ... we're not back to full capacity domestically or internationally."
David Morgan, Chief Strategy Officer for Air New Zealand, has signaled the concerns the airline has, however as mentioned earlier in this story, does not see any immediate reduction in services:
"We know how important it is to get our customers around our network in the lead-up to Christmas and our team are working hard to ensure we will continue,"
Christchurch has hopes for American Airlines to visit permanently
Prior to COVID-19 causing havoc, October 2020 was set to be an exciting month for Christchurch. American Airlines had planned to operate directly from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This was postponed as borders shut, and the direct route is yet to materialize.
Sources: Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand Herald