Air New Zealand charter flight to Wuhan lands in Hong Kong

The Boeing 777-200 is expected to depart Hong Kong for Wuhan later this evening (local time) and is scheduled to depart Wuhan for Auckland before midnight local time.

NZ1942 Wuhan to Auckland is expected to arrive at Auckland International Airport on Wednesday afternoon (NZT).

The flight will be operated by a team of 20 Air New Zealand employees who volunteered for the special mission. This includes five pilots, 11 cabin crew and medical and engineering staff.

Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Standards Officer Captain David Morgan says there will be New Zealand, Australian and Pacific Island nationals on the flight back from Wuhan.

"We are pleased to be able to support the New Zealand Government with the repatriation of New Zealanders and other foreign nationals from Wuhan in China's Hubei province.

"The Air New Zealand crew who have volunteered for this flight are amongst some of our most experienced pilots and crew. They will be under the command of a captain who has more than 30 years' experience with the airline.

Captain Morgan says the wellbeing of passengers and crew is Air New Zealand's top priority and it is implementing infection control measures advised by the Ministry of Health and the airline's Chief Medical Officer.

"There will be minimal interaction between cabin crew and passengers, and pilots will not come into contact with passengers. Crew will wear appropriate personal protection gear while assisting passengers during the service."

Captain Morgan thanked Chinese officials and New Zealand Government representatives for their efforts to facilitate the necessary approvals to make the repatriation flight happen.

"We have been highly impressed by the way in which Chinese officials have put the necessary approvals in place given the extra ordinary circumstance that they are dealing with in Wuhan," he says.

Wuhan - Auckland charter
Flight number: NZ1942
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Capacity: 312 seats
Expected flight time: 13 hours

The schedule for the charter is as follows (all local times). Please note, due to the complexity of this operation, these times may be subject to change.

Note to editors:

Images of an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200 and an infographic of the flight path is available here.

Ends

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.

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