Engine issues will see Air New Zealand pause two international routes and shuffle the domestic network in New Zealand for the next two years.

Engine manufacture and service company Pratt & Whitney disclosed a condition affecting the maintenance plan for the Geared Turbofan jet engine fleet.

Up to 700 engines globally will be impacted during the next three years, with the effect on global aviation felt most keenly in the coming year.

Air New Zealand has 17 A320/321NEO aircraft in its fleet of 108 aircraft, serving Australia, the Pacific Islands and domestic New Zealand.

“While this maintenance issue does not present a safety issue, it has caused Air New Zealand to revise its flight schedule as a result of adjustments made to the engine maintenance plan,” says Air New Zealand chief executive officer Greg Foran.

“We’ve been able to reorganise most of our schedule by consolidating some flying and moving aircraft to different routes.

"Most customers whose flights have been changed will still fly on the same day, some on international flights will be re-accommodated to services a day either side of their original booking and some may have a cabin change due to a different aircraft being used.

“Flights connecting Auckland and Hobart will pause from April 5, 2024, with our Auckland to Seoul service paused from April 1, 2024.”

Greg says the impacts of the Pratt & Whitney servicing schedule change are significant and could impact services for up to two years.

Due to engine availability as a result of the P&W maintenance issues, the airline will have up to four aircraft grounded at any one time.

The company is also managing other supply chain issues which airlines globally are facing as it looks to put additional fleet cover in place.

Impacted customers do not need to contact Air New Zealand, they will be contacted in the coming weeks.