New Zealand’s fuel shortage hits more flights and petrol stations

Photo of machinery digging where a damaged pipeline is buried (from Reuters video)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (Reuters) — New Zealand’s jet fuel shortage on Tuesday (September 19) forced 39 flights to be cancelled, 13 of them international, with concerns the fuel crisis may spread after fuel stations in the country’s largest city Auckland halted high-octane gasoline sales.

The fuel shortage, caused by a damaged pipeline to Auckland Airport, has caused widespread disruption to air travel since the weekend and comes only days before Saturday’s (September 23) national election with infrastructure shortages a hotly contested issues.

New Zealand’s military, which cancelled an exercise with Singapore to save fuel, was trucking fuel supplies around the country in an attempt to ease the shortage and government officials have been asked to avoid non-essential air travel.

Air New Zealand said on Tuesday it was beginning to refuel long-haul aircraft at the international airport in the capital Wellington. Flights to and from Auckland have stopped at airports in Australia and Pacific islands like Fiji to refuel.

The damaged pipeline is owned by New Zealand Refining and the company has told local media that initial investigations showed a digger had scraped the pipe.

A spokesman for New Zealand Refining told Reuters on Monday (September 18) the pipeline was closed for repairs and was expected to return to 70 percent capacity by Sept. 24 to 26.