An Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was forced to return to Auckland Airport on Tuesday after a small crack was found in the aircraft's windshield. The flight, NZ99, was en route to Tokyo Narita Airport when the pilots decided to turn back after about three hours in the air. The plane landed safely at Auckland Airport at around 3pm local time.
Air New Zealand said the crack was found in the outer layer of the windshield and did not pose any safety risk to the aircraft or its passengers. The plane was taken out of service for inspection and repair. This is the second time in recent months that an Air New Zealand 787 has been forced to return to Auckland with a damaged windshield. In January, a flight from Christchurch to Guangzhou was diverted to Hong Kong after a crack was found in the windshield.
Air New Zealand has 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in its fleet. The aircraft are known for their fuel efficiency and comfort, but they have also been plagued by a number of problems, including issues with the windshields. In 2013, Boeing issued a safety directive to airlines operating the 787 after a number of incidents involving cracked windshields. The directive called for airlines to inspect the windshields of their 787s and to replace any that were found to be damaged.
Air New Zealand said it has been following Boeing's safety recommendations and that all of its 787s have been inspected. The airline said it is still investigating the cause of the latest incident.