Auckland Airport Fuel Shortage | 19 September 2017
Update | 22 September 2017
Today we have seen air cargo capacity increase slightly following the temporary replenishment fuel measures announced yesterday.
Key update for today as below:
- China Airlines advise that they can now accept new cargo bookings again but still face weight restrictions on their flights.
Suggested Action
Please continue to book your airfreight shipments as normal. We expect that due to the temporary fuel replenishment arrangements 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.
Below is an updated summary on the responses we have received to date from the major airlines:
|
Airline |
Response to Auckland Fuel Shortage |
|
Air New Zealand Cargo |
Not accepting any new bookings until fuel situation restored. Note existing bookings and bookings on allocation space held by Mainfreight continue as normal. |
| Emirates | Business as usual on flights transiting in Australia. Limited Cargo Bookings on Direct Flights to or from Dubai with refuelling stop in Melbourne now added. |
| Singapore Airlines | Freighter Services over Australia operating as normal. No Cargo Bookings on passenger flights until fuel situation restored |
| Qantas Airways | Accepting bookings business as usual. |
| Cathay Pacific Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Southern Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Airlines | Not accepting any new bookings until fuel situation restored. Note existing bookings and bookings on allocation space held by Mainfreight continue as normal. |
| Thai Airways | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Korean Airlines | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Malaysian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| China Eastern Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| Hawaiian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
Update | 21 September 2017
Since our update this time yesterday it is pleasing to report that the situation is now improving with provisions in place for alternative emergency fuel replenishments to Auckland Airport for the remainder of the pipeline outage. This said, from an air cargo perspective, there is still little change to current situation as advised yesterday. Key changes since yesterday’s update:
- China Airlines advise that their services are now nearing capacity and now will no longer accept any new cargo bookings until the fuel situation has been restored.
- Hawaiian Airlines have advised that they can no longer accept any cargo bookings until the fuel situation has been restored.
Suggested Action
As per previous updates, please continue to book your airfreight shipments as normal. We will continue to try and find alternative routing arrangements for your cargo during the outage however please understand that transit delays will continue to occur until such times the fuel pipeline is fully restored.
Below is an updated summary on the responses we have received to date from the major airlines:
|
Airline |
Response to Auckland Fuel Shortage |
|
Air New Zealand Cargo |
Not accepting any new bookings until fuel situation restored. Note existing bookings and bookings on allocation space held by Mainfreight continue as normal. |
| Emirates | Business as usual on flights transiting in Australia. Limited Cargo Bookings on Direct Flights to or from Dubai with refuelling stop in Melbourne now added. |
| Singapore Airlines | Freighter Services over Australia operating as normal. No Cargo Bookings on passenger flights until fuel situation restored |
| Qantas Airways | Accepting bookings business as usual. |
| Cathay Pacific Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Southern Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Airlines | Not accepting any new bookings until fuel situation restored. Note existing bookings and bookings on allocation space held by Mainfreight continue as normal. |
| Thai Airways | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Korean Airlines | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Malaysian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| China Eastern Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| Hawaiian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
Update | 19 September 2017
Key changes since yesterday’s update:
- New Domestic Cargo bookings transferring from regional airports to Auckland to meet international flights have been suspended until the fuel situation is restored. Mainfreight are able to offer express trucking services through Mainfreight Platinum and Owens Premium if required. Please speak with your local Mainfreight contact for further information on possible ways we can help.
- Air New Zealand advise that they will no longer accept new cargo bookings until the fuel situation has been restored. This will not affect existing bookings already in place or bookings on allocation space already held by Mainfreight for our customers.
- Singapore Airlines have advised that they can accept some critical Perishable bookings on their passenger flights to and from Singapore albeit in a reduced capacity.
- Air China have advised that they can no longer accept any cargo bookings until the fuel situation has been restored.
Suggested Action
Again, the update remains as please continue to book your airfreight shipments as normal. While the situation is challenging we are finding alternative ways of connecting both import and export cargo through carriers who have added refuelling stops to their existing schedules, and also through exploring interline options with other airlines connecting in Australia.
Below is an updated summary on the responses we have received to date from the major airlines
|
Airline |
Response to Auckland Fuel Shortage |
|
Air New Zealand Cargo |
Not accepting any new bookings until fuel situation restored. Note existing bookings and bookings on allocation space held by Mainfreight continue as normal. |
| Emirates | Business as usual on flights transiting in Australia. Limited Cargo Bookings on Direct Flights to or from Dubai with refuelling stop in Melbourne now added. |
| Singapore Airlines | Freighter Services over Australia operating as normal. No Cargo Bookings on passenger flights until fuel situation restored |
| Qantas Airways | Accepting bookings business as usual. |
| Cathay Pacific Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Southern Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Airlines | Business as usual. All flights already tranship in Australia |
| Thai Airways | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Korean Airlines | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Malaysian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| China Eastern Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
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.
How does this affect your Airfreight bookings
Both Import and Export Airfreight bookings in Auckland maybe subject to transit delays until such times the pipeline is repaired and re-opened. At this stage indications are that the pipeline is likely to take 10 days to repair so we expect we expect the situation to continue until Sunday 24th September.
Freight delays remain possible due to the fact that airlines are being asked to take a 70% reduction in their usual fuelling allotments at Auckland Airport because of this fuel situation. As a result some airlines are choosing to lighten payloads both on inbound and outbound flights to in order to reduce their fuel consumption on flights to and from Auckland.
What we can do
At this stage please continue to book your airfreight shipments as normal. Most carriers have now already found alternative ways of fuelling, either bringing their own supplies into Auckland, or by adding additional fuelling stops into their flight schedules. Your Mainfreight Customer Service, Sales and Operations Teams are well placed to find alternative ways of routing your airfreight if required and can update you on any transit delays that may result on any current import airfreight bookings.
Below is a summary on the responses we have received today from the major airlines
|
Airline |
Response to Auckland Fuel Shortage |
|
Air New Zealand Cargo |
Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stops in Australia and Fiji added to long haul flights. Some cancellations to Trans-Tasman flights. |
| Emirates | Business as usual on flights transiting in Australia. Limited Cargo Bookings on Direct Flights to or from Dubai with refuelling stop in Melbourne now added. |
| Singapore Airlines | Freighter Services over Australia operating as normal. No Cargo Bookings on passenger flights until fuel situation restored |
| Qantas Airways | Accepting bookings business as usual. |
| Cathay Pacific Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Southern Airlines | Accepting bookings with cargo refuelling stop in Brisbane added to all schedules servicing NZ until further notice. Expect transit delays |
| China Airlines | Business as usual. All flights already tranship in Australia |
| Thai Airways | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Korean Airlines | Limited Booking capacity with Perishable Prioritised |
| Malaysian Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
| China Eastern Airlines | No Cargo Bookings until fuel situation restored |
We will continue to monitor the situation and update on any changes. In the interim, should you require any additional information, please feel free to contact your Sales or Customer Service Representative.