Updates

Update on Wednesday 30 September 2026

Comment in response to the TAIC report into Air New Zealand Flight NZ5366 from Christchurch to Wellington that experienced an engine fire and emergency evacuation upon landing on September 1, 2024.

Please attribute to Air New Zealand Chief Safety and Risk Officer Nathan McGraw

"Safety underpins everything we do at Air New Zealand, and we're proud to be recognised as one of the world's safest airlines. Serious incidents like this are rare, but when they do happen, it's important they are thoroughly investigated and we learn from them. We're grateful to our crew who landed the aircraft safely and evacuated our passengers. TAIC found their actions ensured the safe landing and evacuation of everyone onboard.

"TAIC found the fire was caused by fatigue in a turbine blade, with no evidence of an Air New Zealand maintenance or operating issue contributing to the failure. The PW100 engine series has accumulated more than 50 million flying hours globally, and TAIC could not identify another similar turbine-blade failure involving this engine type. The report also identifies important lessons from the evacuation, which took longer than we would want. Real-world evacuations involve uncertainty, time pressure and different passenger responses, and there are valuable lessons from this event. We accept the findings and have already made changes to strengthen our training, procedures, and passenger safety information."

Update on Thursday 1 October 2026

Comment in response to the TAIC Report: Air NZ Q300 below safe altitude on approach to Timaru in 2023.

Please attribute to Air New Zealand Chief Safety and Risk Officer Nathan McGraw

"Safety and a strong safety culture are fundamental to Air New Zealand. When something doesn't go as it should, our job is to understand why and learn from it. 

"We began our own investigation immediately in June 2023 and strengthened our procedures, training, monitoring and safety culture, well before the TAIC inquiry was completed. TAIC has recognised that work, and the final report makes one recommendation to Air New Zealand, which we've accepted and progressed.

"Independent investigations, regular audits, and being open about what we can do better are all essential parts of a safe aviation system. We're very confident in the training, systems and safety culture we have in place today."