Anti-Ice Issue Prompts Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner To Return To Auckland After 2 Hours Inflight

Passengers onboard a recent Air New Zealand flight between its home in Auckland and Hong Kong had their flight turned around two and half hours into service due to the anti-ice function inside one of its engines requiring inspection. The flight NZ81, operated by a Boeing 787-9, was over the Coral Sea, northeast of Brisbane when the call was made to return home. The reason for returning the aircraft home instead of a foreign port is standard for carriers, given that they will have their dedicated maintenance team on hand with spare parts as required.