Flight is forced to turn back after concerning discovery on board

Air New Zealand passengers had to endure a nine-hour flight that took them back to where they departed after their plane was forced to turn back.

Flight NZ289 left Auckland, in New Zealand, on Monday night and was bound for Shanghai, in China, but did a U-turn near the Solomon Islands just four-and-half hours into the 12-hour flight.

Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren told 7News the aborted flight was a ‘proactive safety measure’ carried out because one of the plane’s engines was using more fuel than normal. 

‘The decision was made to return to Auckland so the aircraft could be checked by our engineering team here to expedite repair,’ Mr Marren said.

‘The aircraft arrived in Auckland at 8:36am this (Tuesday) morning and customers will be accommodated on the next available service.

‘We’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while our teams work through the rebooking process.’

It’s understood the plane will have a complete service, which the airline does not have the facilities for in Shanghai.

Last month two people were injured on an Air New Zealand plane when it hit severe turbulence on a flight from Wellington to Queenstown.

A passenger reportedly suffered burns from a pot of hot coffee while a crew member was thrown from her feet about 15 minutes after take-off on June 16.