Air New Zealand cancels flight as pilots fight during layover

Dhaka: Air New Zealand canceled a long-haul flight after two pilots were reportedly involved in an altercation during a stopover, leaving the airline without a full crew to operate the scheduled service.

The incident took place on September 7, involving flight NZ7, a Boeing 787-9 that was set to fly from San Francisco to Auckland. Shortly before departure, passengers were told the flight had been called off due to a crew issue.

An email sent to travelers initially cited illness, stating that the assigned pilot was unable to operate the service. However, reports soon suggested the real cause was a dispute between two pilots during their layover, which left them unable to work together.

Air New Zealand's Chief Safety and Risk Officer, Nathan McGraw, confirmed the airline was looking into a matter involving two off-duty crew members in the United States, while maintaining that nothing occurred onboard the aircraft during the incident.

New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority said it had been informed of the matter but had not yet determined whether regulatory action was warranted, noting that all such reports are reviewed before any decision is made.

Since a replacement pilot could not be arranged locally on short notice, the airline had to fly in another crew, who then required mandatory rest before they could operate the return service.

As a result, affected passengers were rebooked onto a flight departing the following day, extending their journey by roughly 24 hours.

The airline has not disclosed further details about the nature of the dispute between the two pilots or whether any disciplinary steps have been taken pending the outcome of the ongoing internal investigation.