Air New Zealand to pause Chicago service from late March due to engine issues with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes.

Air New Zealand has confirmed it will put a pause on its Auckland – Chicago non-stop service between 31st March to 25th October 2024.

The Kiwi airline advises the route is being put on hold because of the ongoing challenges with the availability of serviceable Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines it uses on its Boeing 787 aircraft.

Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines normally require heavy maintenance, during which they are taken off the aircraft and sent to the manufacturer for inspection, after 1000 engine cycles (take-offs and landings). During regular inspections, Air New Zealand engineers identified that the engines required maintenance after 750-850 cycles. Rolls-Royce has been unable to provide Air New Zealand with spare or replacement engines to deliver the level of service needed, leading to a reduction in the amount of flying Air New Zealand can deliver via its 787 fleet. 

The airline's Chief Customer and Sales Officer, Leanne Geraghty claims it was a difficult decision to make, but chose the route that would impact the least number of customers.  “We know this will be disappointing for customers travelling to and from Chicago during this period, especially to those travelling over the upcoming April holiday break. It’s not a decision we’ve made lightly and we’re sorry to make this change so close to the time some customers plan to fly.

Unfortunately, Air New Zealand continues to be impacted by challenges with availability of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, meaning we will now have up to three aircraft unavailable for an extended period, so we’ve had to review our schedule."

The airline says that passengers affected by the Chicago service pause will be rebooked on another international service and a connection through another US airport. Passengers who booked directly with Air New Zealand will get a new itinerary within 72 hours and those who booked via a travel agent or tour operator should contact their holiday company or agent to confirm the changes.

Geraghty said "We need to ensure our aircraft and engines are maintained to the highest standard. These challenges do not present a safety risk to customers flying on our 787 fleet."

The airline didn't rule out the possibility that further schedule changes may be required later in the year when more aircraft and engines come in for heavy maintenance.  The company currently has 14 Boeing 787 jets with a further 8 on order. 

More jobs at Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has said it plans to create hundreds of new jobs in Derby following a £55m cash injection which will be split between the firm's operations in Derby and Dahlewitz, Germany.

The firm says the new investment will see 200 jobs created in Derby and a further 100 or so in Germany and will address Rolls-Royce's "growing demand for new civil large engines and to improve customer aftermarket support for its global Trent aero engine fleet". According to the firm, it expects an annual increase of up to 9% of Rolls-Royce-powered aircraft for the rest of this decade.

Rob Watson, the company's civil aerospace president, said: "These latest investment in our engine build and services capacity is further proof of our commitment to deliver both excellent products and services to our global customer base.  We are ready to support our continued growth in the widebody market - delivering even greater ability, reliability and efficiency."

Last month, Rolls-Royce announced a £1bn investment in the Trent engine programme of continuous improvement. 

Your travel planning isn’t complete without learning the language—or at least some essential phrases. Fully immerse yourself in the language, or use Phrasebook to learn travel essentials—the choice is yours!