New Zealand fuel shortage disrupts air travel just days before poll

By Charlotte Greenfield

 

Air New Zealand aircraft are pictured during fuel shortages at Auckland Airport in New Zealand, September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Nigel Marple

 

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's National Party government on Wednesday set up a commission to oversee the response to a fuel shortage crisis that has roiled air travel in and out of the country's biggest city just days before a tight national election.

 

More than 100 flights have been cancelled over the past three days and many more delayed, disrupting the plans of thousands of travellers after damage to a pipeline carrying jet fuel to Auckland airport.

 

Fuel rationing is expected to last for another week and the opposition Labour Party has pounced on the disruption to criticize the National Party over infrastructure shortfalls ahead of Saturday's election.

 

Analysts said the fuel crisis could sway some voters towards Labour, although a poll released late on Wednesday that was taken partly during the crisis showed a surge in support for the National Party.

 

"For a lot of undecided voters, swing voters who don’t follow politics closely but are voting on last minute information, it will nudge some of them away from voting for the government," said Bryce Edwards of Wellington-based Critical Politics.

 

Despite noting that the pipeline is privately owned, the government has called in the military to help truck in supplies of fuel and urged government officials to avoid non-essential air travel.

 

On Wednesday it set up an industry and government group to handle the crisis, including government and Auckland Council agencies as well as Air New Zealand and private oil firms.

 

"The Group is working full time until issues are resolved," Energy and Resources minister Judith Collins said in a statement.

 

A total of 110 flights have been cancelled since Sunday, an Auckland Airport spokesman said. National carrier Air New Zealand said about 9,000 passengers would be affected on Wednesday alone, with about a third having their flights cancelled.

 

Australia's Qantas plans to fly a 747 from Sydney to Auckland on Wednesday evening with around 50,000 kilograms of fuel onboard that would be used to supply some Jetstar and Qantas aircraft, a spokesman said.

 

Economists said the country's economy had not been significantly affected so far, but this could change if the pipeline was not fully restored within about the next 10 days.

 

"At this stage ... we think the direct economic impact will be relatively minor," said ANZ economist Phil Borkin.

 

However, industry officials raised concerns about the damage to the international reputation of the Pacific Nation, where tourism has soared to record levels of more than 3.4 million visitors a year.

 

"We've seen the volumes of people and tourists increasing, we've seen the commercial sector out there growing," said Michael Barnett, chief executive of Auckland Chamber of Commerce, on Radio New Zealand.

"But we didn't plan for it or manage the infrastructure,"

 

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Additional reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Richard Pullin)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-20

How was the pipeline damaged I wonder, and so close to an election is a bit suspect.

On 9/20/2017 at 2:05 PM, webfact said:

a pipeline carrying jet fuel to Auckland airport.

Maybe plan to build a couple jet fuel storage tanks at the airport as a backup to pipeline disruption?

5 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Maybe plan to build a couple jet fuel storage tanks at the airport as a backup to pipeline disruption?

Nah, either the greenies or the bureaucrats would stop that. They won't even build enough houses, so families are living in cars and garages.

NZ is now so overwhelmed with PC stupidity that it has become a fun devoid zone.

The only thing the bureaucrats can't stop is the gangs and the crime.

This story was on the Australian news on Monday

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-17/fuel-shortage-causes-flight-cancellations-in-auckland/8954788

Can someone correct this erroneous heading. It is only in Auckland airport, not NZ wide.

 

Despite noting that the pipeline is privately owned, the government has called in the military to help truck in supplies of fuel

LOL. That'll probably take a while, as the government(s) have been doing all they can to emasculate the military since the 70s. It's probably down to one small truck that won't run because it's u/s and there aren't any VMs left to fix it .

The fuel shortage was in JAFA City not New Zealand. The rest of us coped ok. Maybe if Governments would wake up to the fact that putting all your resources into One City isnt the most straegic or economically sound idea