“It takes around six to eight weeks to get a desert-based 777-300 ready to fly, and the team are working with a local maintenance provider to reanimate our aircraft out in the desert.
ZK-OKP is the first of four Victorville-based 777-300 aircraft to be reanimated, and the airline is working through a programme to bring back the three remaining aircraft over the next year.
“It’s a welcome change from the type of flying our operating aircrew did through the height of the pandemic, and for those stepping back onto a 777-300 for the first time in more than two years, it will be an emotional reunion with one of their favourite aircraft. The first 777-300 aircraft, registration ZK-OKP, is due to leave Victorville in late August for Auckland, where it will have scheduled maintenance before rejoining the 777-300 operating fleet from late September.
“The 777-300 is our biggest widebody aircraft capable of carrying up to 342 customers with up to 154 cubic metres of cargo capacity. From the engineering and maintenance team working on the aircraft to the cabin crew and pilot teams retraining to operate them, we’re excited to have more of them back in service.
“From servicing the wheels on the landing gear to checking upholstery and the inflight entertainment system within the cabin, a lot of work goes into these aircraft to ensure they are ready to welcome customers back on board.
“These aircraft going into service means we’re rehiring more cabin crew, pilots and engineers to resource our schedule, and it’s been fantastic to see people coming back into the business.
Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren says it’s great to see these aircraft returning to service to help gear up the airline for even more flying.
After 696 days in deep storage, Air New Zealand is bringing its first Victorville-based 777-300 aircraft out of the desert.
“No one could ever predict what would happen in the pandemic, and now that demand has bounced back quicker than anticipated, we knew it was time to bring these aircraft back from Victorville. Two of these aircraft are back in service, with 777-300 ZK-OKO due to reenter service in the coming weeks.
“We’ve got teams across Air New Zealand working on the 777-300 reanimation.
“When the hard decision was made to park our 777 fleet, we knew the desert was an ideal environment due to its warm and dry conditions.
“We’ve also been closely monitoring these aircraft throughout their entire desert experience. The airline also has had three 777-300 aircraft stored in Auckland for the last two years. Our engineering teams then remove the protective shrouds and materials on the wheels, sensors and wings and undertake a thorough servicing and maintenance programme to get these aircraft serviceable and ready to fly again.
In 2020, the airline sent four 777-300s to the Victorville storage facility in the Mojave Desert due to the severe impacts of Covid-19, limiting the airline’s flying schedule to the bare minimum. With various regular scheduled checks and maintenance occurring through their time in Victorville, our local Los Angeles-based engineering and maintenance team has diligently taken care of these planes the entire time they’ve been parked.
When the last of these aircraft were taken to be parked in late 2020, it was unknown when they would return.
“The process starts with a good wash to eliminate the dust and grime accumulated in long-term parking out in the Mojave Desert.
Written by Jill Walsh
.jpg){kind=tracking}
