Air New Zealand is investigating an alleged altercation involving two of its off-duty pilots at a layover hotel in San Francisco, with the matter also reported to New Zealand’s aviation regulator.
According to a report by Stuff, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed it was notified about the incident on September 14 through its standard reporting processes and is assessing whether any regulatory action is required.
A former Air New Zealand pilot, who spoke anonymously to The New Zealand Herald, said he had heard about the alleged confrontation from several pilots currently working for the airline. The former pilot understood the two pilots had argued during an Auckland-to-San Francisco service earlier this month before an alleged confrontation at their hotel.
However, Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said the alleged dispute did not occur during the flight.
“We are aware of a matter between two crew members off duty in the United States which is currently being investigated. There was no incident onboard the aircraft,” McGraw said, Stuff has quoted.
The former pilot said news of the alleged incident had spread “like wildfire” among Air New Zealand staff.
The claims emerged after Air New Zealand’s September 7 flight NZ7 from San Francisco to Auckland was delayed by more than 14 hours because of pilot sickness.
“Due to sickness, the pilot scheduled to operate your flight is no longer able to operate your service,” the airline told passengers in an email, as quoted by Stuff.
According to Stuff, the airline said a replacement pilot had been arranged but needed to complete mandatory rest before operating the flight. The service was subsequently renumbered NZ6077 and rescheduled to depart San Francisco at 12.15 pm on September 8, arriving in Auckland at 8 pm on September 9.
When Stuff asked Air New Zealand about the alleged altercation and whether the illness that caused the delay was connected to the matter, the airline responded: “We don’t have anything to add to this one.”
Passengers on the delayed service praised airline staff for their handling of the disruption. One traveller said Air New Zealand was willing to cover accommodation costs at rates above the $250-per-night amount stated in its passenger email.
“They were falling over themselves to help everyone as there were so few passengers,” the traveller said of the rescheduled flight.
“Apparently there were only 13 passengers in Economy and they announced that once airborne Economy passengers were welcome to move seats and take entire rows if they were free,” Stuff has quoted.
The CAA said it was reviewing the information provided but would not comment on any assessment or potential regulatory action involving identifiable individuals.
“We do not comment on assessments, or regulatory considerations, relating to identifiable individuals,” a spokesperson said.
“We consider all information brought to our attention, and determine whether any regulatory action is required,” as quoted by Stuff.
The authority also clarified that employment-related matters involving Air New Zealand staff fall under the airline’s responsibility.
“Air New Zealand is responsible for employment matters relating to its staff, and CAA cannot comment on those matters,” as quoted by Stuff.
Stuff also contacted the New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association, which said it could not confirm whether the pilots involved were union members and referred questions to Air New Zealand.
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