Air New Zealand said it is moving aircraft that are out of service due to ongoing engine supply challenges to storage in Alice Springs, Australia.
In a media advisory, the airline cited Alice Springs’ dry and low humidity conditions to be “very suitable” for aircraft storage.
Air New Zealand said the move will free up space at its Auckland hangars for scheduled engineering and maintenance programs for the aircraft. The airline will store up to four aircraft at any given time at the facility.
A combination of A321 and B787 aircraft, which are currently unable to be used due to global engine supply challenges with Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney, will be moved to the facility.
Air New Zealand said it will swap the aircraft in and out of the storage as the engines become available.
Air New Zealand is currently building Hangar 4 in Auckland, a storage facility that is one and a half times the size of its current facility. Expected to be completed in 2025, the hangar will be able to house one widebody aircraft, such as a Boeing 777-300 or 787-9, as well as two narrowbody aircraft, such as an A320 or an A321neo, at the same time.
Studio Pacific, the architectural firm behind the hangar construction, said the new structure will be the largest single span timber arch aircraft hangar in the world.