A replacement engine has been sourced for ZK-NBS and the 747-400 aircraft will return to service at 1000 (NZ time) on Thursday 26 September 2002.
The aircraft with 358 passengers on board, bound for Los Angeles, returned to London Heathrow an hour and a half into the flight after the flight crew shut down one of its four engines.
A number of passengers were able to be accommodated on other airlines which left later in the evening (UK time) but the majority are being accommodated at airport hotels.
Air New Zealand is currently working on plans to bring the passengers still waiting in London back to New Zealand as quickly as possible.
The airline has already sent a replacement 747-400 to Los Angeles to uplift approximately 200 passengers due to board NZ1 at Los Angeles. It will depart Los Angeles at 18.30 (NZ time) bound for Auckland - a delay of about eight hours.
Air New Zealand has commenced its own investigation into the possible causes of the engine failure. The Civil Aviation Authority has been advised and as the external regulatory authority it will determine the need for any independent investigation. If there is an investigation, it will be given full cooperation by Air New Zealand.
No flights out of New Zealand have been disrupted.
ZK-NBS is the same aircraft that lost a section of flap on take-off from Auckland recently. There is nothing to connect this incident with the engine failure.
There were no prior indications of problems with the engine before the event and shut-down of that engine. The four engines on ZK-NBS are manufactured by Rolls Royce.

——-