Air New Zealand flight to Tokyo Narita returned to Auckland due to an incident.
On June 19, 2023, an Air New Zealand flight with to Tokyo Narita was forced to return due to windscreen damage.
About 3.5 hours into the flight, #NZ99 made a U-turn and proceeded back to Auckland Airport.
The Dreamliner turned around in the vicinity of Port Vila, Vanuatu.
The windscreen’s outer layer sustained damage, according to Air New Zealand’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, David Morgan.
“Windows on aircraft are made up of multiple layers to withstand damage, however, to ensure the safety of our customers and crew it’s part of our standard operating procedure to return to one of our ports to allow our maintenance team to undertake repairs,” Morgan told various media outlets.
The plane with the registration ZK-NZJ is a six-year-old Dreamliner that was handed to Air New Zealand in September 2016.
Just after 5:00 local time, the plane landed at AKL Airport.