An Air New Zealand flight scheduled to return to Auckland was cancelled after the aircraft made contact with an airbridge at Brisbane Airport on Wednesday night, causing concern among passengers and prompting an immediate inspection of the plane.
The incident involved flight NZ146, which was due to depart Brisbane shortly after 9pm local time. While maneuvering at the gate prior to departure, the Airbus A321neo reportedly struck the airbridge—a movable structure used to connect aircraft to terminal gates—causing minor damage. The airline later confirmed that no passengers or crew were injured in the incident.
A spokesperson for Air New Zealand said in a statement that the aircraft was withdrawn from service out of an abundance of caution. “Safety is our top priority. After the aircraft made contact with the airbridge while being pushed back, we cancelled the flight to allow for a full engineering inspection,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers who had already boarded were required to disembark while engineers assessed the situation. Many expressed frustration over the sudden change, but the airline assured them that accommodation and alternative flight arrangements were being provided.
“We understand this is a frustrating experience for our customers and we thank them for their patience while we work to get them to their destination as soon as possible,” the airline added.
Photos shared by affected passengers showed the aircraft stationed at the gate with the airbridge visibly misaligned. Witnesses described a “sudden jolt” followed by an announcement from the crew confirming the contact.
Brisbane Airport Corporation also confirmed the incident but referred all questions to the airline. No operational delays were reported at other gates as a result of the incident.
This marks the second minor ground-handling incident involving Air New Zealand in recent months, though the airline maintains a strong international safety reputation. Aviation experts have noted that while such occurrences are rare, they are not unheard of and typically involve miscommunication or ground crew error during pushback procedures.
Air New Zealand said a full internal review will be conducted to determine the cause of the contact with the airbridge. The airline did not provide an estimated timeframe for when the affected aircraft would return to service.
Passengers booked on NZ146 were either rescheduled on the next available flights or offered hotel accommodation overnight in Brisbane. For many, it meant a significant delay in returning to New Zealand, with some expressing concerns over missing work or connecting travel plans.
Air New Zealand has apologised for the inconvenience and pledged to keep customers updated as new arrangements are finalised. For now, the airline continues to monitor the aircraft’s condition and awaits the results of the engineering inspection.
Source: NZ Herald
