Some Air New Zealand planes are being forced to make refuelling stops in the wake of global Rolls-Royce engine problems.
Photo: 123RF
Last week, two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners were removed from service after a global safety check of specific Rolls-Royce engines.
Air New Zealand said 9000 international passengers would be affected by rescheduling this week alone.
It said weight restrictions by the US Federal Aviation Administration would mean some flights need to make refuelling stops.
Chief Operational Integrity and Standards Officer, David Morgan, said depending on weather conditions, some flights may not be able to depart with all the fuel required, prompting the need for the fuel stop.
Over the weekend, 787-9 flights made fuel stops at Sydney, Cairns, Darwin and Guam.
Those flying to Los Angeles, Houston, and Japan's Haneda Airport will be impacted, as well as some trans-Tasman and Pacific Island flights.
All other flights will be operating normally.
Mr Morgan said the fuel stops would take around an hour to complete and passengers would be required to stay on board.
He said where possible pilots would be speeding up to try and get to their destinations as close to schedule as possible.