Air New Zealand has rebooked passengers to Tonga for Thursday, July 3, after their flight NZ970 from Auckland was forced to return due to an engineering issue.
The affected passengers were initially scheduled to arrive in Tonga on Wednesday, July 2.
The incident comes amid allegations that the airline would cease services to Tonga starting July 1—a claim Air New Zealand has denied.
In an email to Kaniva News, Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren clarified the situation, stating:
“NZ970 Auckland to Tonga returned to Auckland this morning due to an engineering issue, as per standard operating procedure. As a result, NZ971 Tonga to Auckland has been cancelled, and all customers have been rebooked to travel tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank customers for their understanding.”
It is understood that the disruption was unrelated to any broader operational changes.
The Tongan government’s push to renationalise luggage handling has sparked debate, with critics questioning whether the transition could disrupt airline operations.
Air New Zealand’s denial clarified the situation and reassured passengers that today’s incident was an isolated technical issue, not a consequence of policy changes.
