WELLINGTON, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Fuel allocations to airlines at Auckland Airport have been increased and flight schedules are returning to normal, as the fuel pipeline repair is on track to be completed well before school holidays begin, a New Zealand official said on Friday.
The disruption arising from the Marsden Point fuel pipeline outage started last week, which has resulted in jet fuel shortage and a great number of cancelled flights.
"Auckland Airport is returning to business as usual, with the expected number of cancellations today dropping to seven, almost two thirds fewer than the number of cancellations yesterday and down from 37 cancellations on Wednesday," Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.
"We are confident there will be no disruption to travel plans for the upcoming school holidays," Collins said, adding that airlines have been effectively managing fuel consumption, and allocations have been relaxed from 30 percent to 50 percent.
The easing of rationing shows the industry's confidence in the progress of the repair, as Refining NZ reports the welding of the new section of pipeline has been completed and has passed its first testing, she said.
To further increase supply, fuel companies expect to discharge jet fuel and diesel into Wynyard Wharf in Auckland over the weekend which should be available to transport to the airport, mid next week, subject to quality tests, the minister said.
"Retail fuel supply in Auckland remains secure, though a small number of service stations in Auckland may be temporarily out of stock of 95 Octane today, as tankers prioritize delivery of 91 and diesel," Collins said, adding that the government and industry will continue cooperative efforts to ensure the largest city keeps moving and disruption is minimized.
