Paint peeling on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787s

Masakatsu Ukon / Wikipedia

Air New Zealand has been experiencing issues with paint peeling on some of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, according to New Zealand press reports.  

The composite wings of the aircraft were affected. Although the model continues to fly, the airline has been in talks with Boeing to resolve the issue.  

The news was first reported by Business Desk. According to the website, Air New Zealand assured that the issue is purely cosmetic and poses no safety concerns. The airline also said the affected aircraft are scheduled to be repainted by Boeing in May 2022. 

“Boeing is working to provide both an immediate as well as longer term solution,” an Air New Zealand spokeswoman is quoted by Stuff.co.nz. 

Air New Zealand was a launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and operates 14 aircraft of the type. The airplanes were delivered between 2014 and 2019, the oldest of which is now more than eight years old. 

The news comes just days after the Qatar Airways escalated similar problems with the paintwork on its Airbus A350. After failing to reach an agreement, Qatar airways chose to sue Airbus over the issue. 

Both the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are notable for a significant part of their airframe being constructed from composite materials rather than metal, as found on earlier models of commercial aircraft.

UPDATE 12-27-2021, 17:00 (UTC +3): AeroTime has received a response from Air New Zealand, confirming the issue and the fact that the airline is working with Boeing to resolve it. 

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