Cath O’Brien, executive director of the Board of Airline Representatives (BARNZ), said some airlines had to make schedule changes to keep services running, including technical stops to allow aircraft to refuel after leaving Auckland.

“These technical stops may mean that departure times have changed,” O’Brien said.

“Customers who are affected by these changes will be contacted by their airlines.

“We encourage travellers to read all airline communication carefully to make sure any changes are well understood.”

Airports, ground handlers and catering firms were working together to manage the problem. Cargo was being managed with minimum disruption.

Additional fuel shipments were now expected, O’Brien said.

BARNZ would discuss management of fuel restrictions with the Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment in the case of any future disruptions, so the impact on passenger and cargo services was minimised.