Fuel shortages impacts cargo services at Auckland Airport 22 September 2017

On Thursday 14th September the fuel pipeline from Marsden Point to Auckland was damaged by earthworks. This damage has led to a closure of the fuel pipeline feeding aviation fuel to the airline industry at Auckland Airport.

Both Import and Export Airfreight bookings in Auckland have been subject to transit delays. Freight delays were due to the fact that airlines were asked to take a 70.0% reduction in their usual fuelling allotments at Auckland Airport. As a result, some airlines are choose to lighten payloads both on inbound and outbound flights to in order to reduce their fuel consumption on flights to and from Auckland.

Most carriers quite quickly already found alternative ways of fuelling, either bringing their own supplies into Auckland, or by adding additional fuelling stops into their flight schedules.

On 22 September, air cargo capacity increased slightly following the introduction of temporary replenishment fuel measures announced the previous day, whilst China Airlines advised that they could now accept new cargo bookings again, but still face weight restrictions on their flights.

It is anticipated that total air cargo capacity ex Auckland will increase daily until such times as the fuel pipeline fully restored, sometime between Sunday 24th September and Tuesday 26th September.