Air New Zealand Grounds 777 Fleet Until at Least Sept 2021 --Update

   By Stephen Wright 
 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand--Air New Zealand Ltd. said its fleet of Boeing 777 jets will be grounded until at least September 2021 due to an expected slower recovery in international travel from the pandemic.

Most of the planes will be flown to the U.S. and stored in arid desert locations in California and Roswell, New Mexico, the airline said Thursday.

Chief Operating Officer Carrie Hurihanganui said a recovery for the airline's international flights from the coronavirus pandemic is "now looking to be slower than initially thought."

A recent resurgence of virus cases in New Zealand is a reminder that the pandemic is a "highly volatile situation," she said in a statement.

The airline had initially grounded the 777 fleet until the end of 2020.

It has seven 777-300 aircraft and eight 777-200 planes. Three of the 777-300 jets will stay in Auckland, leaving them available for a quick return to service.

Write to Stephen Wright at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 09, 2020 19:00 ET (23:00 GMT)

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